End Transmission
by ShinigamiMailJeevas
Summary: 'I think that either L or Wammy kidnap genius children and bring them here to become the next L. And the things that happened to us, as well as the fact that everyone who could truly identify us is dead, are a bit more than coincidental.' - MM,Char Death
1. Prologue

**Full Summary**: Matt learns that some secrets are perhaps, better left as secrets. He, Mello and Near are pulled into a sinister plot full of murder, kidnapping and lies. But Matt just couldn't seem to regret anything, no matter how it ended up. Future yaoi.

-Mind you the rating is for the entire fic and all of its parts.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note

**AN**: Yay it's finally here, I actually started this while in the process of posting Choices chapter 20 and writing The Silent Place. Go me? So here is the prologue.... I hope that you all enjoy it.... (I decided to post it early as I was bored……)

Special thank to DiabolicaJeevas for doing an edit for this :)

**Suggested Listening**: Welcome To The World (Feat. Rick Ross) **by **Kevin Rudolf

**Prologue**: _In the Interest of Easing Boredom _

The room was dark, the only real light coming from a laptop on a bed; the air was slightly musty which suggested that the occupant of the room rarely left the door or window open.

There was a muffled groan followed by a large and breathy sigh.

The site had, once again, frozen and caused him to loose all of his progress. With a frown the red haired boy pushed the orange goggles to the top of his head, the screens light no longer reflecting off the surface of the lenses.

He rubbed tiredly at his eyes and blinked at the blurry images in front of him before he replaced the goggles over his eyes; his hair flopped back into place with the too long fringe drooping just over his eyes. With his usual form of entertainment gone, the boy known only as Matt, cracked his fingers and donned a wicked grin.

If he couldn't play his preferred online game at the moment, then he would just have to turn to hacking for some entertainment. It was fun, and so long as he never got caught Mr. Wammy didn't care.

Though that stick in the mud Roger was always on his back about it. Matt rolled his eyes and forced thoughts of Roger from his mind. He had to deal with the Wammys House caretaker enough during the day without thinking of him while on his own time.

He loved to hack; it was something he was good at. He had been good at it even before Wammys, though not nearly good enough as it was what had landed him at Wammys in the first place.

He had accidentally found his way inside Wammys server while he had still been living with his parents, but it was only after he'd been forced into a hole-in-the-wall orphanage, shortly after his parents had died, that he had been found by Mr. Wammy.

His first year there he had constantly been in trouble with Roger for hacking things, as Roger or even L himself had caught him. But by now he was good enough where he was only caught by L if it were something he monitored frequently.

Though lately L had been busy with cases and had left it to Roger to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble, though Matt liked to think he'd gotten better. Technology was his area of expertise after all.

Wammys House had been created for the sole purpose of finding the next L, should the current one die early or retire. Though it was also known as an ordinary orphanage.

The rules were strict, though that was mainly because of Roger, and the class work bogged down many of them to the point of having no free time. Competition was encouraged, though the students did most of the work on their own to create a pressure cooker environment.

Matt honestly wanted no part of it, and really had no motivation to become the next L, though he was currently ranked first.

It was rare that children were brought to Wammys House, as Matt supposed there weren't too many genius orphans out there, but he hoped a few more might come in hopes of taking his position.

Though he couldn't just drop spots as everyone there would know he had faked things. No one there was at his level and it left him feeling bored most of the time. He never did any of his work either. There was no point as the only things that actually mattered were the tests.

Though there were many classes to take, and some extra that didn't count towards ones weekly score, there was only one main test at the end of the week. There was only one version of the test and everyone _had_ to take it.

Matt grinned as he exited the FBI's mainframe and wondered how pissed off people would become. He hadn't _seriously_ tampered with anything, simply created a glitch that would make it appear that a massive amount of files had been deleted, when in reality they were merely 'hidden'.

The glitch was on a time release and once a week was up the files would 'magically' reappear in their system. Damn it was fun to mess with them.

He tried his game site again but the server was still frozen. He wondered why he didn't just hack it and fix the errors but figured it was simply not his job to do all their work for them. He was about to sign into one of his various non Wammy e-mails, as Wammys House had its own server along with inner house e-mail for class updates and such, when he spotted an article about a Russian Mafiya bosses murder a few days before.

It vaguely piqued his interest so he clicked on the article. It wasn't as though he had anything else to do. Apparently it had been a planned hit and the guys' entire family had been murdered; save for one survivor.

Who also happened to be the sole heir to the Mafiya. Though it was stated that the teen had disappeared and no traces of his whereabouts were known. The boy had apparently been a genius.

Matt figured that the boy had simply found a way to hide himself, and it definitely seemed like a good idea if what happened to his family was anything to go by.

He thought nothing more on it and entered his e-mail where he had notifications about various games having been updated or beta testing trials. He stayed online until the very early hours of the morning before passing out before the sun ever came up.

Matt woke to an incessant knocking on his door, though it sounded more along the lines of banging, and his goggles having been pressed uncomfortably into his face. "It's open!" he mumbled and stuffed his face further into his pillow despite the aching caused by the goggles.

"Matt- when was the last time you _cleaned?_!" Roger's voice boomed from the open doorway; light spilled in from the hallway though Matt noted sunlight probably would have been lighting his room had he not put up the blinds _and_ blackout curtains.

He blurrily looked across the room and noted the random articles of clothing that littered his side of the floor as well as well as the empty soda cans, games and other oddities strewn about. He honestly couldn't remember when he'd last cleaned. Things were probably growing mold and mutating under his bed as they spoke.

Come to think of it... what _was_ under his bed?

"Get this pigsty cleaned up. And open those damn curtains, you have a new roommate and I'm ashamed to have him see this, as you should be as well." Matt blinked as Roger's words infiltrated his mind.

"Then perhaps you should have informed me I was getting a roommate. Your bad, not mine." Matt mumbled though he made no move to get up. The older man sighed heavily and spoke to someone who stood behind him in the doorway.

"This is Mello and I expect you to show him around." Roger left after giving him another nasty glare which left 'Mello' to stand in the doorway alone.

As Matt took in the form of his new roommate he grinned. He would either be a pushover, in which case Matt could continue his rather boring way of life. Or he would a complete pain in the ass.

Either way, things had finally changed.

**-End **_**Prologue**_**-**

**AN: **So what does everyone think of this so far?

Also, Mafiya, isn't a type. For the Russian Mafiya/Mafia it can be typed either way. Google it.

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 1: Answer

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note.

**AN: **I know parts of this may seem similar to my other stuff, but if you READ it you'll see the differences immediately.

Also, Mafiya, isn't a typo. For the Russian Mafiya/Mafia it can be typed either way. Google it.

**Suggested Listening**: Strange Boy **by** Kerli

**Chapter One**: _Answer _

Matt didn't look up or even show any signs of hearing the softly murmured words. He had, naturally, paused his music when he had first thought he'd heard something, wondering if he were being spoken to for the first time since Mello had moved in nearly a month before.

But the blonde hadn't even been looking in his direction. No, he had in fact been hunched over by his own bed and slowly moving something between his fingers. It had taken Matt only a few moments of contemplation to understand that it was a rosary.

Mello was praying.

For what though, Matt didn't know.

Mello was strange. Not in a bad sense. Just _strange_. He did things that Matt didn't understand. Praying being one of them. In his belief, there was nothing worth praying over. God had abandoned them long ago, so why bother with someone who wasn't listening?

Then there was the constant supply of chocolate entering the blonde's mouth. It was as though he lived off of it. In fact, he couldn't remember seeing Mello eat anything other than chocolate.

And he couldn't forget the all black clothing. Though it did suit the blonde. The soft looking material was so dark in contrast to the blonde's light colored skin that it nearly shone. It also made his hair seem that much brighter and his eyes that much more blue.

Add all of that to the fact that Mello hadn't spoken a word to anyone since his arrival weeks ago.... it wasn't so farfetched that he thought the blonde a little odd. Though honestly, who was he to talk with the goggles, stripes and games.

Another thing he had noticed was that Mello seemed to make everything a silent competition. If Matt were to stay up until thee AM, then Mello had to stay up until four AM. If Matt took ten minutes in the shower, Mello would take less.

The redhead couldn't understand it.

And he tended to ignore things he didn't understand. But therein laid the problem. The blonde was near impossible to ignore. His entire demeanor, whilst silent, was imposing and he seemed to demand attention despite having never uttered a word.

All he had to do was look at one of the other children and they would immediately back away from him or bow their heads in fear. It was interesting to watch. Matt had found himself paying more attention to Mello than his games, which had lead to more than a few game overs.

But it was alright, because it was something _different_.

He turned most of his attention back to his game, as he wanted to finish that level before dinner, but left his music on pause so he could continue to listen to those softly spoken foreign words.

Despite the pain laced into the blonde's voice, the words were soothing. Relaxing almost. And Matt was just a little disturbed by it all.

The redhead turned his music up louder and tried to get lost in his games again, but the soft words echoed in his mind and made for terrible concentration.

He eventually went to dinner by himself, and nearly laughed at all the whispers that started the moment he walked in. He didn't know why they all expected Mello to suddenly walk in with him one night.

It wasn't as though Mello spoke to him anymore than he did them. And that was never.

Matt sat by himself in a corner of the room and ate whatever it was that dinner was that night. He supposed that it was something good, but he doubted he'd ever get used to anything other than something his mother had cooked, even after so _many_ months without.

He finished the meal quickly, as he always did, and got back to his room, his sanctuary, and to the boy who had yet to speak.

He was always quiet upon entering so it was no real surprise that Mello hadn't heard him; but what was surprising was the fact that the blonde had adopted an expression of extreme concentration and was holding one of his handheld games.

By the looks of it, it was the Nintendo DS.

Wordlessly he walked over to Mello, who was turning the device over in his hands in an attempt to turn it on, and gently took the item from him. Mello instantly froze, an expression of surprise and slight horror etched across his features.

Matt raised an eyebrow in response as he turned on the DS and held it back out. Blue eyes narrowed suspiciously before he tentatively took the game. Matt almost laughed at the lost look on the blonde's face as he stared at the screen.

It was more than obvious that he'd never played a game in his life. Which was really sad in Matt's opinion. He moved to sit by the blonde and leaned over his shoulder. "Here, take this and move it across the screen." he picked up thestylus pen and placed it in Mello's hand.

Mello made a noise of understanding and Matt knew that he would only have to explain things once to his roommate before it was completely understood. Even if it was only concerning games, he would be happy.

For he could say that about no one else in that institute. It wasn't to say they were stupid, they were geniuses, but they weren't as smart as him. But maybe the quiet blonde was. He was already different than the rest...

"Damn..." Mello muttered softly quite a while later. Matt smiled at the unconsciously whispered word. The blonde tried so hard and yet every time he just couldn't beat his high score.

"I've been playing games for as long as I can remember. And it's really all I do, so don't feel bad if you can't beat me." he told him. Mello turned to him, as though just remembering he was next to him.

He gave Matt a weak smile.

It was small, and fragile, but it was progress. And Matt wasn't sure why, but it felt like the best achievement he'd had in such a long time.

.

........

.

He woke to the sound of a stifled scream and a choked sob. He blinked a few times in the darkness of the room before deciding that it had come from Mello, as there were no other signs of movement.

Matt knew that many of the children there mourned the loss of their families, some never fully adjusting, but he had never been faced with a roommate before and thus had never had to directly deal with it.

He tensed at the soft sniffling sound from across the room and couldn't help the answering ache in his chest. He too knew the pain of loss, but each story was different so he couldn't quite say he understood how Mello felt as he knew very little about the blonde.

Matt found himself out of bed and stepping across the no longer cluttered floor before he'd even truly thought things through. The only thing he knew was that he didn't want to hear those tears any longer.

"Mello?" he questioned softly. He heard the soft gasp and Mello nearly collided with him as he sat up.

"I'm fine." was the tear dripped response he was given. Matt rolled his eyes as only an idiot would have believed that. Instead, and even against his better judgment, he climbed onto the bed with the blonde.

"No one ever is." he commented softly. Mello sucked in a short breath and for a moment he thought he would be pushed from the bed, instead Mello scooted further over in the bed to give him more room, or perhaps to get away from him.

He wasn't sure.

"I-it's stupid..." Mello muttered, and Matt was sure that if he could fully see the blonde's expression in the dark, that it would be full of self loathing.

"Not really. It's normal. A show of strength even." he told him calmly. The spot on the pillow where he laid his head was wet with tears and he wondered just how long Mello had been awake before he'd accidentally woken him.

"How is this strong?" Mello managed to choke out. He couldn't see it, but he could feel the glare directed at him.

"Because you still go to sleep even though you know there is a chance you'll wake up like this." Mello was silent for such a long time after he'd said it that Matt almost thought the blonde was asleep. At least until the blankets were pulled over him.

"It's cold... idiot."

Matt took note of how much lighter Mello's voice sounded and smiled at him though he knew the blonde couldn't see it. "Thanks..." he thought he heard Mello whisper only a few minutes later.

"Goodnight Mello." Matt knew that despite everything, he had just made a friend, someone who was oh so very interesting. And for the first time since he'd come to Wammys.... he thought that perhaps things might get better.

.

.........

.

"Matt?"

He slowly opened his eyes at the softly spoken words. Years of being used to complete silence had him wake the second his name was spoken; that and it was seemingly right next to him.

His eyes finally focused, as much as they could without his goggles. They weren't merely goggles like most thought, they were prescription, having hereditary eyes problems. But in a house full of genii it wasn't smart to let ones weakness show, so he didn't always have them on hand.

He was met with a Mello shaped blur and the longer he focused the easier it became to see the blonde's almost meek expression. Mello was curled under his own end of the blanket, which was pulled up to his chin, and staring at him. "Yeah?" he said around a yawn.

"It's almost time for classes. We missed breakfast..." Matt blinked slightly at the almost apologetic tone of voice and wondered if Mello had assumed he'd be annoyed. He yawned once more and sat up, the blanket falling to his lap.

"Then we'll just have to eat a bigger lunch." he said with a shrug. Matt wondered why it didn't feel strange to suddenly be having a conversation with his roommate who had been silent for three weeks.

He simply chalked it up to it being Mello's personality. He demanded attention and if that attention came in the form of words...

They settled into a comfortable silence as Matt slid from the bed, slightly wobbly, and continued onto his side of the room, using memory alone to guide him to his things. He placed the goggles back on first and then searched around his things for something clean to wear.

He could hear soft shuffling movements as well as the sound of paper being brushed aside on Mello's side of the room but didn't feel the need to glance over. Instead he found a black and green striped shirt and a pair of paint stained jeans to throw on.

He didn't bother with the bathroom and simply stripped and dressed where he stood. If Mello was uncomfortable he didn't have to look over.

He finished his dressing with slipping on a pair of busted up black skater shoes.

He finally looked over to see Mello, dressed in all black once more, sitting on the edge of his bed with his head bowed almost completely to his chest, and if he looked closely enough it almost appeared that he was blushing.

"Ready to go?" he questioned the blonde who's head snapped up to meet him. Mello nodded slowly and Matt wondered if he would go back to being silent. He wouldn't mind too much so long as he wasn't ignored.

Mello was just as silent in the presence of the other children and teens, not that Matt had expected differently. He suspected, that at least for a while more, Mello would only speak to him in secluded places, or at the very least where no one else would hear him, if he chose to speak again at all.

He didn't question the blonde on it as they all had their strange quarks. Though it was also possible that he was simply using the time to watch people. But from what he had gathered from the blonde, that wasn't it.

The first half of classes passed in much the same boredom it usually did, with the now added five minute time for people to ogle and gossip over the new boy, still being Mello. It usually took a few months for all the hype to die down over a new person.

However, the stranger they were the longer they would be talked about.

Matt had managed to seat himself next to the blonde with a minimal amount of effort. Both of them completed the class work in hardly any time at all and it left them free time in which to do nothing at all.

Or in their case, have a conversation through paper.

Matt learned that Mello was in fact Russian rather than German as he had first assumed. He had also been able to wheedle out the blonde's birth date, in exchange for his own, and found that Mello was a few months older.

Which had caused the blonde to smirk at him for a moment before he had seemingly remembered they were in class and his thoughtfully blank expression had slid back into place.

But now that Matt had seen the blondes' emotions he found it easier to see through the mask he put up.

By the time lunch finally rolled around, four hours after the start of classes, he had counted several different times in which Mello had been annoyed with those around him. Generally it surrounded the times when they decided it was time to either call on Mello to come to the white board to answer something or when attention was indirectly brought onto him.

So when the bell to lunch rang, which was actually church bells that they worked their schedules around, he had expected Mello to wander back to their room as he usually did. He did not expect for him to suddenly follow him, gradually working up to walking beside him, to the dining hall.

He noticed Mello stop just outside the doors for a moment and knew the blonde would be looking at the new scores that had been posted. They were generally posted once a month unless it was the times in which L gave special assignments to a select few, usually the top three, and then the scores would be posted again.

Curiously, as he wanted to know where Mello was in accordance to the chart, Matt leaned close to the blonde and peered at the list of names, scores and subsequent ranks.

Mello's back had gone ridged but he ignored it and simply moved further off to the side but still within sight of the rankings. "Huh, I got moved to second." he commented. Mello's eyes had previously been locked onto his rank, that of first place which was an achievement for someone who had only had three weeks of classes, having come into Wammys one week into the new month, but they faltered at Matt's voice.

Mello glanced at him and Matt swore he saw something skin to worry flash across his face before the mask of indifference was back. He waited a few seconds for Mello to elaborate but it became apparent that he wouldn't or simply not there.

As they sat down with their lunches the room was in an uproar of curiosity. Mello sat with him at his table which was away from everyone else. He could hear their whispers and knew it was all directed at Mello.

Because Mello was finally at lunch with them. And because Mello was sitting with _him_.

He noted how Mello studiously ignored them, his earlier irritation having left and instead replaced with something else, though what it was Matt honestly couldn't say. Each day they were given an hour for lunch, though you were not required to be there for the entire time.

Just the same for dinner. Breakfast however, was a mere half hour. And morning classes ran from eight till noon. Then picked back up again at two and ran until five. Mr. Wammy probably would have crammed more classes onto them if it weren't for all the work the teachers assigned them.

That, and the schedule they had now was the same one that had produced the first L. So naturally it should work for the rest of them.

After lunch, Matt paid far less attention to class, instead playing his DS in class and only participating if he were called on or told to turn his game off. The latter which he never did.

All through that time Matt had seen the subtle signs that Mello was thinking over something, not necessarily worrying, but thinking. Mello had been fine that morning and he couldn't quite pinpoint when the awkwardness had started.

Not until they were in their room and Mello sat listlessly at his desk and stared at the textbook that would usually be open for him to study from.

It all clicked then. Mello had only started acting strangely when he found out he had become the new number one. Was Mello worried about having taken his position? Was that the problem?

Mello was generally competitive, from what Matt had seen, but did Mello think he would be angry for having been knocked into second? That was ridiculous.

In fact, Matt found the entire notion absolutely hilarious and couldn't help the laughter that bubbled forth from his lips. Mello's head whipped to his direction at the sound and the blonde's confusion, borderline annoyance, only made it all the more funny.

It took him a full minute to get himself under enough control that he could explain himself before Mello though he was crazy. "I just finally figured out why you have been stranger than normal all day." Mello's eyes narrowed at him, though Matt caught the underline look of anxiety.

"Believe it or not, I've been waiting for someone to come here and make my stay interesting. I dislike the spotlight placed on me because I'm in first. It was why I played my games rather than socialize." he flopped onto his bed and stared at Mello's now upside down form.

Mello smiled at him and seemed appeased that he could be first without angering him. Matt wondered if he honestly seemed the type to anger over something like that, or if it had simply been the blondes' own paranoia or something.

"Mello... Are we friends?" he asked suddenly. He honestly couldn't even understand why'd he had asked. Mello seemed caught off guard and Matt cursed his stupidity. Mello maintained a look of curiosity for a few moments before nodding to him.

"We're friends." Mello stated.

Matt noticed the way Mello had said that, as though Matt really had no choice in the matter. He smiled. Mello certainly was interesting.

-**End _Almost-_**

**AN: **So how did everyone like the first chapter? When I first started writing this, I wasn't sure how long it would be, I actually thought it would be short like the fics in my WSF series and goddamn if I wasn't WRONG. This fic is already at 25 chapters and 95,000 words. Yup. I'm faaaaar ahead of what I'm posting. And I'm going to keep it that was as I'm not sure when I will finish this. ^-^

**Special thanks to reviewers** : Living in a fantasy, critter141151, Atreyl, Kyler Conroy, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, PrincessPika, schoolkid, DiabolicaJeevas

Review?


	3. Chapter 2: Too Good

**Disclaimer**: I dont own Death Note.

**AN**: I rather like this one... question…. Do you think we can get this more reviews than Choices? I think I'd die……. XD

**Suggested Listening**: Memories **by** David Guetta ft Kid Cudi

**Chapter Two**: _Too Good _

Matt pressed the buttons on his old gameboy color harder than necessary and smirked in victory as he completed the level. He shifted the lollipop to the other side of his mouth and glanced over at the rooms other occupant.

There was a just a flash of yellow for a moment before it disappeared over the side of the bed; Mello was cleaning again. He glanced down at the game and began a new level. Mello had come to Wammys sometime around six months before, and ever since the day Mello had told them they were friends they had been inseparable, growing ever closer as the days passed.

Matt smiled fondly at the thought. He really did like the blonde bundle of energy.

Mello had also gotten better at speaking to others, where he had once been so silent; though nowadays it was generally to yell or growl at them. He remembered the first time Mello had spoken to another kid there, other than himself. The boy had just accidently knocked into Mello making him drop and crack his chocolate bar on the floor. Mello had narrowed his eyes and spoken in such soft harsh tones and the boy had looked ready to cry; and Matt knew for a fact that the other teen was older than Mello's own thirteen years.

Mello was also still first in the rankings, though Matt knew that he hardly tried to stay there as he stated he wasn't competing with Matt as Matt wasn't competing with him. That didn't mean that Mello slacked off like Matt did with his studies.

Not at all.

Matt found that Mello loved to learn anything and everything. His mind absorbed things like a sponge. Though if Matt thought on that he wondered if Mello's brain would ooze out his ears when it got too full. He laughed at the absurd image and Mello cocked an eyebrow at him from his crouched position by his bed to which he merely gestured dismissively.

Mello eyes seemed to say 'fine keep your secrets' as he disappeared as far under the bed as he could to grab, what Matt presumed, were more discarded chocolate wrappers. The blonde could honestly eat more chocolate than anyone Matt had ever met, and probably anyone he would meet.

But Mello would probably say the same about him and his games.

They were aware of each other quarks and yet were not generally bothered by them. Except for the time Matt had slipped on one of Mello's many discarded chocolate wrappers and found himself careening dangerously into the desk.

It had lead to a crack in his goggles and Mello's chocolate disappearing for over a week until Mello had cleaned up each and _every_ wrapper. Needless to say, Mello made sure to keep the slippery wrappers off the main floor, just as Matt kept his games off. That wasn't to say, though, that Mello didn't simply toss the wrappers under the bed once the trash bin was overflowing.

But Matt didn't mind.

Though Matt only suspected Mello was cleaning like a maniac at the moment because there was the hushed rumor of L possibly coming for a visit. Very few of the orphans there had actually met the man, Mello included, and the one who hadn't were excited and the ones who had... they were near manic.

Matt had never met the man, only Mr. Wammy, so he honestly couldn't see what the big deal was. But he supposed that he was also biased in the fact that he didn't want to be a detective despite having spoken with the man once or twice through a laptop with no webcam. He figured that if he hadn't been taken in by Mr. Wammy that he would have ended up as a hacker and even possibly in jail for his feats by now.

Mello had been one of the lucky few who had been picked up by Mr. Wammy _and_ L.

Mello said that L was tall, though he slouched to appear smaller as it was deceptive, and had a rats nest of raven colored hair and wore baggy blue jeans and long-sleeved white shirts. Mello said it with such awe that it had Matt wondering if there was something he was missing. L certainly, by description alone, didn't _sound_ all that great.

But Matt wasn't about to interfere with Mello's hero worship, or whatever it was, over L.

"Catch!" Mello called to him. And after six months of living with the blonde as a roommate Matt didn't bother to look up, knowing that if he missed it was far safer to keep his face _away_ from whatever was being thrown, and instead raised his hand and grasped the object that smacked into his palm.

"You're getting good at that." Mello remarked as he looked at Matt's clenched hand. In it was tiny game cartridge for his old gameboy. He looked up questioningly at Mello who merely shrugged.

"I found it under my bed." was all he said. Matt rolled his eyes skyward. Everything was _found_ under Mello's bed. Matt had honestly begun to wonder if Mello had kleptomania and simply decided to give things back every once and a while.

Though there was also the possibility that everything was just under his bed. For as messy as Matt had been before Mello, it seemed the two of them combined misplaced more items with a clean room than Matt had with all the years of living in that pigsty.

It was irony, Matt supposed. Sort of like never brushing your teeth and never having any cavities and only getting one once you start to take care of them. Irony. Matt hated it.

He watched as the blonde emptied all the garbage into a large plastic bag, the things from under the bed included, and walked from the room. Matt knew that he would b gone for a while, as Mello was usually sidetracked by the going ons in Wammys, which left Matt on his on for some time.

He was actually rather bored with his game at the moment, having just beaten a boss and being thoroughly taped out on the storyline for the moment. He saved the game and tossed it gently to the middle of his bed before procuring his laptop and sitting on the floor with it.

He decided on playing WoW. It was always interesting, even if he was sometimes bombarded with conversation.

He decided to play his high leveled character, rather than snoop around on one of his lesser accounts and creating havoc, and was instantly spammed with other players asking where he'd been for the last few weeks.

He settled for saying that he had been bogged down with school work, which he received some understanding replies for, which was completely untrue. But he couldn't very well and tell them he'd been content to play Tetris and watch his roommate study.

He ended up going on a mission of sorts with a few other regulars he knew, though they had mainly done it for the items they would receive, and they had come across another group who were conversing animatedly about something whilst not noticing the enemies approaching. "n00bs" Mackinly78 said and his group replied with eye rolls and Lol's. But there was something that caught his attention, or at least a fading interest, in the chat that was scrolling down the side of his screen.

He kept the information in mind and after he finished the mission said that his internet was on the fritz again and signed off so he wouldn't be distracted as he searched the net. He wondered at his curiosity on these matters; if it were simply because some things were similar to his own past, or simply because he was morbidly curious.

He merely had to go onto one of the internets international new sites and the story was headlining. It was about a billionaire's son who had seemingly vanished, right after the boys genius stature had been made pubic at a party. The boy was said to be eleven years old and was very distinctive with his albinism, leading to very pale skin and silverish white hair though he lacked the well known red eyes. There was a video where the distraught father was seen pleading, at a press conference, for his sons safe return.

Then as he watched other footage, and read more of the rather large article, the authorities apparently began to belie that the family had something to do with the disappearance.

Something struck Matt as wrong, with the entire situation, though he couldn't figure out what it was. Like there was a little warning flag attached to something within the contents of the case but nothing jumped out at him as the cause.

He shrugged it off as a problem for another day should it nag at him enough. He cleared his history and shut the laptop down. He was bored again, but honestly had nothing he wanted to do at the moment.

He found that he was increasingly bored without Mello around, and it wasn't even like Mello really ever did anything with him other than talk or joke around. Mello didn't like his games, as he said they were absolute brain rot material, which left Mello not involved with a lot of things he did.

And yet, every time the blonde was away from him, he felt... empty?

Mello was most certainly the closest he'd let himself get to another person since he'd come to Wammys. And the blonde was definitely his best friend... but he wondered sometimes why Mello even hung out with him as he didn't seem very interested in the things he did.

But he figured that so long as things were working out well, that there was no reason to change anything.

He laid down on his spot of the floor, the wood cool against his cheek, and goggle covered eyes stared at the small crack of light that lit the room from behind the blackout curtains that Mello had allowed to stay up.

He closed his eyes and what seemed like minutes later the door slammed open and Mello stomped into the room. Not out of anger, but that's just how he was sometimes.

"Were you sleeping... on the floor?" Mello asked finally, as he'd come to stand over him, blonde hair falling into his face. If Mello's features were any softer, his eyes more of a lighter blue and the look of incredulity replaced with a smile, Matt would have said he looked like a girl.

"Not really sleeping." he replied, though he honestly wasn't even sure if he were being truthful anymore. It was probably more accurate to say that he had been _falling _asleep before Mello had slammed the door open. But he wasn't about to point that out. It just wasn't worth it.

"You're too lazy at times. Anyway, let's go!" Mello didn't wait to explain anymore than that, being too impatient for things like that, and instead simply dragged Matt up bodily onto his feet and led him from the room. Mello almost instantly let go of his hand, once their door was shut, as though he _knew_ Matt would follow.

And perhaps he did.

Because for the last two months he'd been faithfully trailing behind the blonde, like a puppy a few of the other orphans had said. But he didn't think of it like that. He wasn't a dog, and he most certainly didn't go along with whatever the blonde said, but he just generally didn't mind following Mello around.

Things were always so much more interesting, more vibrant, when Mello was involved; that was all.

He followed along, ignoring the other children as they either watched Mello with respect or fear, until they reached the common room where Roger eyed them wearily as they passed. It was then that he caught sight of the new items next to the large screen television.

"Mello?" he questioned. That was... well he knew what _that_ was, but why had Mello brought him here, and since when did they _have_ one?

"I saw Roger putting it together and thought you might like to try it out..." Mello trailed off softly and Matt couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face. Mello had taken him to play the new Wii Roger had bought?

Mello who _hated_ games.

His smile was so wide that it hurt and he was sure he looked a little more than crazed but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Stop grinning like that..." Mello mumbled and turned his face away; it was tinged pink.

"Let's play then. I've never used one so we'll be on equal ground!" he tugged Mello's arms in the direction of the console and heard Mello mumbled something like _'I doubt that'_ but ignored him as he shoved one of the Wii-motes into the blondes hand.

To Matt, having Mello do that, had been better than Christmas and any gift he could have gotten.

Little over two hours later Mello was slumped onto the couch as Matt finished him off in the boxing match. Again. "I _hate_ this game!" he hissed angrily, and though he jammed the Wii-mote into the couch it had appeared to Matt that he would have preferred to toss it across the room, and probably into the television itself.

"Don't be like that." he told the blonde, though he honestly hadn't foreseen any other outcome with the blonde who truly wasn't good at games, and hated to lose at _anything._

"Keep playing if you want but I'm done." Mello growled out and stalked off. Matt sighed heavily. His friend really was a sore looser... he watched as Mello left the room but didn't even think to follow. There was so much he could do on this...

He played until well after everyone else had gone to bed and only when his arms felt like they would fall off did he stop. He went to turn off the television when something on the couch caught his eye.

Mello was draped across half of the couch and facing the screen; his head was using the armrest as a pillow. He hadn't a book on him, and Matt had no idea of how long he'd been there, but it was more than obvious that the blonde had been watching him for some time.

He smiled at the sleeping teen in front of him and left for their room to retrieve a blanket.

.

The next day had found the two of them curled up on the couch sharing a blanket and a gameboy in Matt's lap. Matt knew there was a whole slew of comments that could have been made, but knew that none of them would be said in front of Mello.

While he generally wasn't violent, he was far from pleasant with others. Matt was seemingly the _only _exception.

.

Mello had scrambled up from the blanket cocoon and raced to their room after he'd glanced at the clock, which had alerted them to the possibility of them missing breakfast and being late to classes.

Something Mello would not tolerate.

After classes had ended they had headed back to their room for some calm entertainment, Matt playing his playstation and Mello studying.

And only after Matt was sure most children were asleep did he leave the room and go to the Wii. He certainly could have tried to wheedle his way into the game earlier, but it was so much more fun to discover all the secrets on your own.

And things continued on like that for the next few days; Mello and Matt falling asleep on the couch included. Matt could honestly never remember a time in the last few months when Mello was ever so calm or willing to just sit by and watch him game.

But he certainly wouldn't complain.

On the fourth day of the odd string of calmness, Roger was absent from his usual duties of prowling around the dining hall during breakfast, which even more odd as it were a Saturday so all meals were extended by ten minutes, leaving plenty of time for whatever had called him away.

And only when someone mentioned a car pulling up did Matt begin to think there was more going on than met the eye. All the children had crowded around the dining hall windows, whereas Mello had been smarter than them and left the hall to look out the window by the front door, and naturally Matt knew this as he'd followed the blonde.

Mr. Wammy had stepped from the car, umbrella pulled open as the rain poured from the grey clouds, and held the door open for a raven haired man who was carrying a small child. "That's L!" Mello gasped excitedly; completely ignoring the childlike bundle in the detective's arms.

He watched with a sort of detachment as Mello glanced in the window and flattened out the invisible creases and wrinkles in his clothing and 'fixed' his hair, as though he needed to look extra perfect for L.

He opened the door for Mr. Wammy who smiled kindly and greeted Mello whereas L simply walked on by and by the looks of it was headed to the infirmary. He hadn't even spared a glance at Mello, who's slightly hurt expression hadn't been lost on Matt, though he doubted Mr. Wammy had caught it.

"Mello, Matt. The boy L is carrying is Near. He is a new addition here so I hope you will show him around. But right now he needs rest. He's had quite a trying few days." Mr. Wammy smiled again at them before he walked off in L's direction.

The boy Near, who Matt later found out had a hip fracture, was the new number one.

**-End **_**Too Good**_**-**

**AN**: So... how did you like that? Everyone see what's going on here now? Or am I purposely being misleading? Hm... questions...

And if you look up on Wikipedia, and other sources, not all people with albinism HAVE to have red eyes contrary to popular belief.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: RainbowJapan, Keono, critter141151, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Living in a fantasy, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, schoolkid, PrincessPika, DiabolicaJeevas

Review please?


	4. Chapter 3: Mixed Signals

**Disclaimer:** I dont own Death Note

**AN: **Yay another chapter! (this was actually started on 2/10/10. hehe)

**Suggested Listening**: Its Beginning To Get To Me **by** Snow Patrol

**Chapter Three**: _Mixed Signals _

Matt watched as Mello's expression completely closed off and became blank. He hadn't seen that particular expression in a while, and couldn't say he was happy to see it. Not in the least. Mello spun on heel and walked away from the rankings sheet. Near was number one, followed by Mello and finally Matt. Matt honestly didn't care about what rank he was, just happy he wasn't first anymore, but he knew that Mello liked being first, almost _needed_ it.

Now that Mello had been toppled from the rankings by a boy two years younger than him, Matt wasn't sure Mello knew what to do with himself.

So it was a surprise in itself to see Mello walk up to Near and speak with him in hushed tones. No growling or yelling involved. It was, what looked like, a normal conversation. Mello didn't _have_ normal conversations with anyone.

Matt stabbed down the feeling of hurt and went to play on the Wii. He knew that if Mello wanted to see him that he would look for him there first, as he'd spent the majority of the last few days on it, though granted it had been at night and not mid day.

Matt figured he'd earned a break in the routine.

Hours later he was still by himself and found that not even another soul had come to play the game as he had been so certain of. He wandered from the common room and found the library, which was generally a quiet place, was buzzing with commotion.

He peeked inside and found that most of the children were either talking at Near, as the boy simply sat there and curled a strand of white hair around his finger, or talked about him. Save for Mello, who would look up from his textbook every few minutes before going back to his studies.

Mello usually studied in the room with him as he said it was too noisy elsewhere. Well wasn't that a kick in the gut?

.

.

Ever since Near had appeared in the house just over seventy-three hours ago, Matt really only counted the days the boy had been _seen_ rather than the ones he'd spent in the infirmary, things had gone downhill. At first Mello had simply been interested in the new boy, and that was fine as Matt was curious about him as well.

But then the second Near took the placement test and ranked higher than Mello, it seemed Near was a higher priority. Matt understood that Mello wanted to stay first, or maybe even wanted to be the tiny albino's friend, and that was all well and good.

But Matt would prefer if he weren't ignored and tossed to the side like an old and broken toy. Jealousy was a bitch.

Though Matt wondered if he were simply making too much out of nothing as it had only been just over a week since Near's arrival. Things may in fact calm down within the following week, in which case all his worrying would have been for naught.

Oh how he wished that were true.

.

.

Mello's new routine consisted of little sleep and food and constant studying. He would generally be found in the common room or the library, usually across the room from where Near was. Though he would sometimes converse with the albino child, nothing of what was said was ever heard as it was said in hushed whispers.

It was made worse by the fact that Near would actually speak back whereas most people couldn't get two words from him unless it was in class. Then, after dinner, Mello would pace around the room and begin a small rant about Near.

Generally about what a condescending little bastard he was and how someone like him didn't deserve to be first and how he would enjoy forcing some emotion into the boys expression. Matt could quickly see that it was becoming an obsession. Near, that was.

Matt's new routine consisted of sitting on the sidelines and playing his games while generally being ignored by the person who'd been his friend for the last few months. He had to deal with the knowing looks and the not so quiet whispers as he passed down the hall with no Mello in sight after being seen as his practical shadow for so long.

But despite that, Matt couldn't hate Near. He doubted that Near's sole purpose in life had been to steal Mello's every breath of attention and focus. And despite what Mello said, he doubted that Near was any of the things he were being accused of.

As Matt had nothing more to do, he watched.

And from what he had seen, Near was simply just attempting to survive in a situation he had been thrust into. Like the rest of them. That wasn't to say that Near didn't have some issues, particularly in concerns with interacting with others.

In other words... he was socially retarded.

Matt noticed how Near's games became more animated, or how he solved his puzzles quicker, when others were around, as though trying to gain their attention and speak what he wanted without having to say it.

But there was something else that struck him about the albino. It was the fact that Near _was _an albino and a genius to boot. It reminded him of the billionaires son that had been kidnapped nearly four weeks ago.

And Matt supposed that it was probably a mere coincidence, as he doubted the boy would have let himself be placed in an orphanage had he been kidnapped, but he couldn't help that it had caught his attention. He knew that he was only interested because he had nothing else to do, as Mello had all but abandoned him.

So after classes one day he took his time in scouring the internet for the article, he knew it wouldn't take too long as it had been a huge article, but he hit a snag. It seemed that any and all pictures of the missing boy had vanished.

And the story itself had all but been buried with the exception of a rather small mentioning. It was said that authorities had found the father, Jonathan River, guilty of murdering his son with the use of evidence to horrible to show the public, which immediately had Matt suspicious, and that he had been place on death row.

He was said to be scheduled for execution soon, the quickest move along in a quite some time. But other than that, everything concerning the story was gone, where he last found a mass of data, he now could find absolutely nothing.

He didn't understand it. And it wasn't for a lack of trying either. But it seemed the data just wasn't there, as though it never had been, except that Matt had seen it.

He needed another opinion on the matter and despite how unapproachable Mello had become in the last few days, he had to try.

"Mello, I need to talk to you." he stood directly in front of the studying blond and got a sinking feeling as he was ignored. "Mello." he said more firmly and though the blond seemed to hear him, as his body twitched, he kept his eyes on the book.

He began to wonder if Mello was just used to ignoring everybody and that it wasn't just him he were ignoring. He calmly took hold of the textbook and pulled it from Mello's lap. The reaction was instantaneous.

"What the hell? Matt I'm studying!" Mello's glare was upon him the second he looked up.

"I need you to look at something, this is important." he persisted. Mello stood up and for a second he thought the blond might just listen to him until the book was forcefully ripped from his grasp.

"And so is this." the blond hissed menacingly. "Beating Near is all that matters."

Matt sucked in a breath as Mello walked away and couldn't help the hurt that sprung from his chest at the blatant dismissal. So much for friendship. With no one else to give him a second opinion on the matter, as he didn't have any other friends at Wammys and perhaps not even one, he would just have to dig up what he could.

Which meant his favorite pastime, hacking.

He would have to be careful though; if the story had been buried then he was sure that any attempts to find information on it would be heavily monitored. Matt wished he were the greatest hacker in the world so he wouldn't have to worry, but really, all he was some genius kid with a gift for technology.

He went back to his and Mello's room and sat on the floor in the corner facing the door so that he would know when someone entered the room; he was potentially dealing with sensitive material.

He hacked into the international news website that he remembered having headlined the story. He searched for signs of tampering, as no matter how good it would leave tiny glitches in the system, and was unsurprised to find a few.

Granted it didn't help him find the missing data, but it did prove that someone hadn't wanted the data floating through the internet anymore. And if he were one to watch the television he would bet the story had been silenced there as well.

He searched for hours and the only place that held the barest amount of information had been a conspiracy theorist site, one that was apparently going to be shut down in a few days because of pressure from the persons local as well as international government.

Matt copied what little he had found and saved it to a password protected folder on the laptop before he wiped his history clear. He added small mention about Mr. River's impending execution to the file as well before he buried it within his folders for gaming things.

He also uploaded the files to a few of his non Wammy e-mails just in case something happened to his laptop. But he wasn't quite done with his searching for the day. During the time he'd been attempting to dig things up on the River kidnapping case, he'd been reminded of a case that he had merely glanced over months ago, before Mello had come to Wammys.

The one about the murdered Mafiya boss with the mysterious disappearance of his sole surviving heir.

And just like the River case, there was nothing to be found. But the Mafiya murder case had happened so many months ago that there was nothing, after six hours of searching, to be found. Matt couldn't quite put his thumb on it, but he knew there was something going on and he wasn't going to stop until he found the article on the case. He wondered if that, since it had been months ago, what information there was, if any was left, wouldn't be as heavily monitored.

He put out a question on web, saying that he wanted to do a research paper on the article but couldn't find it anymore, asking for anyone who might have a copy of it saved. He did so on the accounts he hardly used just in case they would be wiped out or mysteriously deleted.

But for the moment he had to stop, as it was dinner. And while he supposed he could have simply ignored it, he was actually hungry. He secured his laptop and used his real name as the password, a name that, at the moment, only himself and two of Wammys House staff knew.

And neither of them were at the house at the moment.

He left the laptop in the corner where he'd been sitting and left the room and was instantly thrown into the chaos of the dinner rush. He should have remembered that things were always a bit more hectic for the last meal. He merely let himself be carried to the dining hall by the tide of children and teens.

Once inside he quickly grabbed a plate of food and sat by himself at his usual spot. He was joined a short time later by Mello, who after seating himself, ignored him in favor of eating with one hand and using the other to flip pages in his textbook.

It hurt, Matt realized, but not enough where he wouldn't just deal with it. If Mello wanted to act like that then he wouldn't stop him. Perhaps Mello would go back to 'normal' after another week or two of this...

Matt really hoped so.

He missed his friend terribly.

He swallowed just another mouthful of the food, as it had suddenly lost all flavor to him, and tossed the plate onto the dish rack after clearing it off at the trash. He forced himself to concentrate on the new case rather than Mello, because in his mind it was a case.

And a very important one at that.

So far he had one nearly confirmed kidnapping, another possible and the mystery of who exactly was behind them. His mind supplied him with an answer of course, but he didn't like it and really wanted more solid proof before he slid into paranoia.

But the thoughts did lurk in the back of his mind as he shut his room door behind him and caused him to change all of his passwords for the laptop to things about games, generally the more obscure ones that he never really played as it wouldn't be obvious choices for him.

He jumped slightly as the door banged open and nearly laughed at himself as it was only Mello who stalked inside. Honestly, what had he expected, the police or something? He snorted at that and rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall while he did his best to ignore Mello's odd look at him.

Though Matt supposed he was just happy that Mello still remembered, even if only sometimes, that he existed. He searched around for a little while longer before he divided his attention between that and an online game; he needed something to help him concentrate or he would loose his motivation no matter what might be found.

He had long since placed his headphones on, as it helped block out Mello's mumbling, so he hadn't really heard the sounds of Mello as he'd moved about the room and only glanced up as he caught sight of the blond as the light was switched off and the blond crawled into bed. Matt looked at the clock and noted that it was almost ten past two. He pulled his headphones free and shut his music off.

"Night Mello." he told the blond, though his eyes hadn't adjusted enough to be able to see him with just the light of his laptop just yet. He heard as Mello shifted and was content to know that he had heard him.

He was, now that the lights had been turned off, aware of just how tired he actually was. He bit his lip and quickly set up a search program that would continue his work, though not to the same caliber, while he slept.

There were classes in just a few hours at any rate and he supposed he needed some form of sleep. He locked the laptop up again with a new password and closed the lid to set the room into complete darkness.

And unlike Mello, he had no problem going to sleep in the same clothes. He had just curled up under the covers when a soft voice called out to him.

"Goodnight Matt..." he smiled into the darkness and despite it having been generally delayed, Mello had responded.

.

.

When he woke Mello was gone and so were his textbooks and just a glance at the clock told him that he would be late for class in under five minutes. Matt figured it was best that he had slept in his clothes the night before.

He rolled out of bed, clothes more than a little rumpled and his shirt halfway up his back, and trudged over to his shoes to toe them on. He had missed breakfast and was glad that he had eaten dinner or he would have been starving.

He glanced longingly at his laptop but knew that he didn't exactly have the time, unless he should skip out on classes, to review the search results should there have been anything found. He knew it would eat at his brain until he was able to check but forced himself from the room with little more than the clothes on his back and the gameboy stuffed in his pocket.

He meandered, wholly uninterested, into class just after he had been supposed to be there. The teacher didn't even look at him as he walked to the back of the room and figured that if he were to get into trouble they would have said something the second he was in the room.

He only halfway paid attention to the garbage they were being taught, as dead poets and what not was not really anything he thought they needed to know, and let his mind oak up the cheap graphics on the well used gameboy.

It certainly wasn't the best handheld he had, but he had the most games for it. And he didn't mind if the teacher took it from him as much as he would have with one of the others. He vaguely, just before lunch, thought he heard Mello get into a debate with Near, but couldn't bring himself to be very interested in it.

No, the onset of lunch brought thoughts of the case back to the surface and he was suddenly very awake and more than ready to leave the classroom. The second the teachers dismissed them he was out of his seat and headed to his room before half of the students had even noticed.

He wondered why he didn't just rush out everyday as he would generally have more time for other things, namely games, if he wasn't stuck behind all the milling about teens and those rushing to lunch.

He noted just how odd his thoughts had turned, ever since he'd woken up, and decided to blame it whole heartedly on the case as it seemed the right thing to do. He left the door open, as he knew he wouldn't be there all that long as lunch was on and he'd missed breakfast, and unlocked the laptop.

He leaned over it, one hand on the desk for support, as he lazily browsed through the results. Nothing had come of the search, however one of the places he'd placed the question had turned up a link and the second he clicked on it the article overtook the screen.

He skimmed the article and got a sinking feeling.

Why couldn't he have just stuck with his games?

**-End _Mixed Signals_-**

**AN:** yay were getting to the good stuff now.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Keono, critter141151, Sisyphean Effort, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, Living in a fantasy, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, RainbowJapan, schoolkid, PrincessPika

Review?


	5. Chapter 4: Suspicious Action

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note.

**AN**: ok. Generally I make 3,000 word the minimum for all my chapters… but every once and a while its under that…

Also, I've decided that the 100th signed review shall get a fic of their choosing from me (must be Death Note) so hopefully telling you now and every few chapters will inspire people to review more XD

**Suggested Listening**: Pain of Love** by **Tokio Hotel

**Chapter Four**: _Suspicious Action_

All thoughts of hurrying had been pushed to the back of his mind as he reread the article, a longer version of the original, again. The Russian Mafiya boss and his family, save the boy, had been killed a week before Mello had arrived at Wammys.

The article was written three days before and released two days before Mello arrived.

The Mafiya bosses son, the only one thought to have survived, and Matt tried to push aside the absolute disbelief at what he was seeing aside, was said to have a very high IQ as well as having his mothers delicate features and blue eyes and his fathers blond hair.

A son by the name of Mihael Keehl, who would be thirteen now.

_Mello_...?

Matt swallowed harshly and sat awkwardly on his desk chair. He still wasn't entirely sure what in the hell was going on at the moment, other than the cold realization that everyone at Wammys may not have come there by chance or horribly bad luck.

Sure it could have been a giant coincidence, or the tracks could have just been covered to secure their information as they were aiming to become L, but if Near _was_ the son of Jonathan River... then it blew those theories out of the water.

And Matt began to wonder if his own circumstances, which had been too coincidental _before_, weren't part of some twisted scheme as well. He really hoped to god, the one he didn't believe in anymore, that it wasn't true.

He took a deep breath and his hands hesitated only a second above the keys before settling into a fast paced rhythm. He had to look up his own past. Though it would not have made any headlines or large newspapers so it might just be easier to find if whoever was behind thing thought it was so mundane it would just fade out.

It was simple. Shortly after he'd been placed into advanced classes, and he began to suspect right after he'd accidentally hacked his way into Wammys systems, his father had left for a business trip and hadn't come back.

Alive that was. He had been found dead in his hotel room. The police reports stated that there were bottles of alcohol around him as well as cocaine. Both Matt and his mother knew that was absolute crap as his father hated both things as it had torn his family apart when he was a child.

And then, hardly a week later, two days after his funeral, his mother had been shot during a mugging inside a grocery store. She had died on the way to the hospital; if the bullet had been just a few centimeters to the left she would have survived.

He had heard his neighbors proclaim it a bit of horrible luck. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. He remembered being so intensely shocked by the absolute feeling of emptiness as he realized just how utterly alone he really was, but had been unable to cry over it as it hadn't really sunk in. He had buried himself in his games and never really thought about it since.

He removed his goggles and wiped away the hot and angry tears that spilled from his eyes.

His own information was far easier to find, hidden on two separate editions and equally small portions of a tiny newspapers online archive, though someone had definitely taken a small amount of thought to hide it. His dad had worked from home, and their home had been in a rather small town, but even there they had been a sort of outcasts.

He read over his own things and the circumstances only seemed more outrageous in his mind when connected with the other two stories.

The entire situation seemed like some twisted plot straight out of one of his games. And if he were right, and for once he really hoped he wasn't, then at least three children of Wammys may have been 'kidnapped', their families removed from the picture, and brought there.

The best part was no one would know it was kidnapping because all their relatives had been murdered into silence. It was a little too much of a coincidence for Matt's liking. The one thing he knew he needed to do, which would cement the entire thing in his mind, was to find out if Near was the son of Jonathan River and Mello was Mihael Keehl.

But that would have to wait until after classes. It wouldn't be good to ask something like that in the middle of the lunchroom where there was a possibility of more than one person overhearing their conversation, and never mind that Mello would freak over Matt asking about his name.

He saved a copy of all three articles in his password protected folder and quickly got rid of all evidence of having searched and having obtained the information. He sucked in a deep shuddering breath and rubbed at his eyes again.

He could only hope he looked well enough to pass as 'normal' for himself. He replaced his goggles and shut the laptop down before he left for lunch. He was a little late, but it wasn't all that odd for him as he tended to get caught up in his games.

His eyes swept the children and teens in the dining hall and wondered just how many of them came there under normal circumstances. Or if any of them had...

Matt pulled his eyes away and concentrated on his lunch ignoring even Mello, who had he looked at appeared confused at something. The remainder of lunch passed quickly as he had come during the end portion, and though he knew that he could hardly be expected to concentrate after all of this, he tried to do his usual things in class.

Such as play his games.

But he kept dying and eventually tuned the game off and just held it quietly. It would appear to most everyone as though he were still playing it. Though if any of the teachers had tried to confiscate it they would have been surprised to see it off.

When classes had let out he was attacked with a sudden bout of nervousness and really wished he could confirm the situation some other way then having to directly ask Near. Especially since Mello was bound to be somewhere nearby... where he would watch the exchange.

Matt wondered if all things in his life were just doomed.

As per usual the injured albino child was found sitting on the floor in his strange position, which Matt believed had nothing to do with L and more to do with his healing hip fracture. Most other children were at least eight feet away and engaged in other activities so as long as he was quiet no one would overhear them.

He walked over to Near, who played with an all white puzzle made of many tiny pieces, and was keenly aware of Mello's glare on his back as he stopped and knelt before the albino. In reality it was Mello's own fault as he _had_ tried to speak with him first.

"Near. I have something important to ask you." he muttered quietly, though Near didn't even so much as glance at him. He hadn't expected the boy to as he never gave anyone his full attention, other than perhaps Mello, though Matt held no doubt that he was listening.

"Does your father happen to be Jonathan River, the billionaire tycoon?" the second the words were out of his mouth Near's eyes had widened more than a little and he had jerked his head up to stare at him and Matt knew he had his answer.

"Come to my room after everyone is asleep if you want to know how I know this. And if you tell anyone, we'll probably be dead before the day's out." he whispered cautiously to the albino. Matt really wished he had been lying about the last part.

As Matt left he had to pass Mello who quickly packed up his text books and followed him. He was not looking forward to the confrontation that would take place; in fact he really wanted to avoid it. But short of running down the hallway and finding a place to hide for all of eternity he was out of luck.

The second Mello was inside the room behind him the door was slammed shut and he was forced to turn around by the forceful hand on his shoulder. "Why the hell are you speaking with Near? What the fuck could you have said to make him give you _that_ look!"

Matt cringed back at Mello's tone and wondered if he were about to be hit. Instead of simply answering the blonds' question he moved over to his laptop and turned it on which only seemed to incise Mello more.

"Matt-"

"I have something to show you. And you will stop yelling until I have explained everything or I will leave you in the dark." Matt hoped that his voice had seemed steady enough because his hands trembled.

He _was_ afraid of Mello, but mostly afraid _for _Mello. Because he knew Mello would angst over anything he did to him once he wasn't consumed by rage. He also worried just how Mello would take what he was about to show him...

He strode to the door and quickly locked it and tried to ignore the look of fury on his friends' features. Mello certainly didn't like being told what to do, especially by someone he was angry at.

He gently guided Mello to the bed and though Mello was obviously angry at him, he was far more curious by the looks of it as he allowed himself to be seated on the bed and have the laptop placed on his lap.

Matt reached over and pulled up the article about the Mafiya murder and Mihael Keehl. "How the fuck did you get this?" Mello hissed, worry and fear shown in his eyes. Matt didn't like the last one but it proved that Mello was definitely Mihael Keehl.

"This was released two days before you entered Wammys. And all of this was wiped clear from the web; I had a hard time finding it all. Look at this one." he hoped Mello would comply and was surprised by the fact that he did.

His eyes widened as he read the article. "So his last name is River? That's why he reacted.. because you knew his last name... wait... his father didn't kill him as he is obviously alive..." Mello trailed off.

"My own story fits the pattern I found." Matt told him as he pulled up those articles, though nowhere in them was his own name. "Since I've confirmed both you and Near, as well as myself, I have a theory..." he let Mello skim the stories for a moment before he continued.

"I think that either L or Wammy kidnap genius children and bring them here to become the next L. And the things that happened to us, as well as the fact that everyone who could truly identify us are dead, are a bit more than coincidental." Matt watched as Mello's face became pale as the information sunk in and Mello came to his own conclusion.

"Oh dear god..." he muttered and touched the rosary that Matt knew hung beneath his shirt.

"You're saying they... L... killed our families to get us?" he whispered. Matt merely nodded, and the fact that Mello hadn't immediately told him he was ridiculous said he believed him as well, even if only a little.

Mello hung his head but Matt noticed the tears that had started to form, as well as the way his shoulders shook. Matt set aside the laptop and hugged his friend, who surprised him when he wrapped his arms around his middle and began to sob. "M-my sister... they... they-" Mello's voice cut off and Matt felt horrible as the tears soaked through his shirt.

He knew there was nothing that he could say to make Mello feel better so he just held him. He hated what he'd found. But he knew it was probably best that they knew about it now, before they were completely roped into the workings of the house to the point where they would no longer care.

Mello eventually tired himself out and was asleep in his arms. Matt found that to be an enormous show of trust; that despite everything that had been going on, Mello still trusted him.

He waited a while longer, until he was sure Mello was deep in sleep, before he moved him further onto the bed and after a bit of finagling, under the covers. It would have been a bit too difficult to get him into his own bed, and he doubted Mello would care where he slept at the moment.

The only thing he had to do now was wait for Near as they had missed dinner by a half hour. He decided to play an online game where he could kill monsters. He pretended that they had the faces of Mr. Wammy and L.

He knew he didn't have definitive proof it was either of them, but it couldn't be anyone else or they wouldn't be at Wammys. He doubted it was Roger, as the man was not nearly smart enough to cover his tracts; or at least not on his own.

For all he knew it was the three of them working together, hell maybe every staff member at Wammys knew what was going on. He just didn't know. But he knew that they would find out one way or another now that there was at least two of the top three on the case.

Around one am he heard a quick and slightly timid knock on the door and quickly got up to unlock the door to let Near in. Matt set the laptop in front of Near and merely gave him the articles. He knew Near would want to piece together the information on his own rather than have everything handed to him.

And had Mello not been so pissed-off earlier he would have done the same for him. He knew the second that Near had come to the same conclusion as him as his pale fingers had curled harshly around the strand of hair he had been playing with.

"I do believe that you have stumbled upon something..." Near commented almost silently. He glanced over at Mello and seemed to suddenly understand why the blond was asleep and curled up into a ball under the blankets.

"So what now?" Matt questioned. Near tugged ever more harshly at his hair.

"We wait..."

Matt knew that Near was thinking about Mello. And despite Mello not having an ounce of liking towards the albino, he doubted Near felt the same or he would not have minded continuing whilst Mello slept.

"Tomorrow then. I think we all need some sleep." Matt told Near softly. Near looked up at him, his wide eyes almost looking glassy, and nodded. No more words were exchanged before Near left the room and he wondered what Near's thoughts were.

It was one thing to know your family was dead, but another to know that they were still alive yet only moments from death at the same time. But those were thoughts he'd never share, perhaps not even with Mello.

He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was early, but he held no desire to play his games. He glanced over at Mello's bed but the thought of sleeping in it was too odd. So instead, after he had changed clothes, he curled up beside Mello and listened to his soft breathing.

He didn't know what would happen now... but as long as he had his friend by his side he knew everything would be alright.

**-End **_**Suspicious Actions**_**-**

**AN: **So... how was it? Not too rushed I hoped.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Living in a fantasy, JJ, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Sisyphean Effort, schoolkid, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, PrincessPika, RainbowJapan, critter141151, Zellicy, DiabolicaJeevas

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	6. Chapter 5: Comfort

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note

**AN**: I rather like the interactions between Matt and Mello in this chapter...

**Suggested Listening**: Pain of Love** by **Tokio Hotel

**Chapter Five: **_Comfort _

He watched as Mello's eyes opened and the initial blurriness shook off and a look of understanding and grief took over. The blond sighed heavily and hid his face in the blankets. Matt let him have his moment to collect his thoughts but didn't get up or move away.

The fact that Mello hadn't either spoke volumes.

Matt wondered why he wasn't feeling at least some of what the blond was. Perhaps it had simply been too long since his parent's death for him to do much more than shed a few quick tears over it. Mello had only lost his family just over half a year ago. That wasn't that long of a time.

"Did Near come here last night?" Mello finally asked, voice thick with something similar to defeat. Matt didn't like the tone on him but knew it would be a while before things got better for him.

"Yeah. We'll be meeting again today. We didn't want to talk until you were awake." Mello stilled but eventually took a shaky breath which was accompanied by a mirthless laugh. He mumbled something like 'I suppose I can't hate him anymore, can I?' though the words were obscured so it could have been something else as well.

He decided on the first. "You can. But I doubt it would help the situation much." he poked Mello in the side and watched as the blond picked his head up wearily, but with the slightest twitch of his lips.

"No. I suppose not." Mello's stomach chose that moment to growl painfully and Matt's stomach flopped at the blush that spread across Mello's cheeks. He didn't know quite what to make of the awkward feeling so he simply smiled at his friend.

"Neither of us ate dinner yesterday, so we should eat something. That and we need to make an appearance... they will start to get suspicious otherwise and we really don't need that at the moment." _especially as we don't have a clue as to what to do_, Matt added to himself silently.

The slight amusement left Mello's eyes and though Matt felt bad he knew they couldn't afford to miss another meal. Both for the sake of appearances and the fact that they needed to eat.

Mello slid from the bed and Matt wondered what, if anything, he could do to rid the blond of the slumped look to his shoulders. His eyes slid away from Mello as the elder boy began to strip his clothing, which reminded Matt that he couldn't leave the room in his night clothes.

Though it might have been worth the odd looks if it brought a smile to his friend's lips.

He was back into his customary stripes and had his goggles back in place just as Mello was despondently tugging down a different black shirt. "Matt..." he trailed off.

Matt cocked his head to the side as Mello looked at him but didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I ignored you... I just got so caught up..." Mello turned his gaze away and after a moments hesitation pulled the ruby colored beads out from under his shirt and turned to Matt.

Matt's breath caught at the sight. Mello had never once brought them into view when another person was in the room and Matt was struck with how beautiful the rosary was but also wondered at it.

"It was my mothers." Mello's voice trembled slightly at the end just as his hands shook around his tight grip on the fragile beads. Any wrong movement and Matt thought it might just break the strands holding it together.

He shuffled across the room and encased Mello's hands with his own and smiled. "Then lets make sure you keep it safe." the shaking immediately stopped but Matt attributed that more to shock than anything else. Mello took a deep breath and leaned foreword so that the top of his head touched Matt's chest and the rosary was pulled close to his chest.

Matt hated seeing his friend in such pain.

Mello only seemed to compose himself when the sounds of the other children going to breakfast could be heard from inside their room. Mello pulled away and though his eyes were glossy Matt could tell that no tears had fallen.

The rosary was tucked safely back under Mello's shirt and after fixing a grin to his face Mello strode out of their room and for all appearances was his normal manic self. But he knew that should anyone else truly know him it would be obvious he wasn't alright.

Near would probably be able to tell even if he hadn't been privy to the _why_.

Matt sat as close to his friend as he could during the meal and despite knowing how bad Mello must feel, couldn't help but be happy that he had his friend back. He wondered how horrible that made him.

All throughout the meal he could feel Near's eyes on them and wondered if Mello's was paying enough attention to notice it as well. He wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't. He hoped that Mello would be alright during their classes and was happy it was almost the weekend.

At least then they would have more time to get together, the three of them that is. It wouldn't be odd for L's top three successors, if they could even be called that anymore, to disappear and go off on their own when classes were out. Matt could at least be thankful for the small things.

Classes seemed to pass more quickly for Matt, who believed it was because he had his full attention on Mello and hadn't given himself anytime for his thoughts to drift to anything else, and so it was a surprise to him once afternoon classes had gotten out.

If asked, he knew he wouldn't have been able to say what had been gone over, or even learned in class. He wondered if Mello or Near would be able to answer it either.

In their room, Matt watched as Mello flopped boneless onto his bed and was silent for a moment. "I just can't like him...despite everything." Mello muttered softly. And Matt didn't need to ask who. "There's just something about him that irritates me!" he said more strongly.

But Matt wondered if Mello was merely trying to keep some semblance of normalcy in the seemingly out of control situation. And after he caught Mello's lingering gaze on his textbooks, despite the blond not making a move to go to them, decided it was true.

Matt knew then, that Mello and Near would eventually get along, if only in secret, he just wasn't sure_ when _that might be. But he wasn't worried. Whether or not it was later rather than sooner didn't matter, because no matter what he knew Mello would work with Near, if only this once.

There would be no more competing for L, it was just something that went unsaid, but that didn't mean their rivalry would just evaporate into thin air. And Matt would have been surprised had Mello said as much.

Though Matt wondered if it wouldn't be better for one of them, or both of them, to become the new L and change things from the inside...

Now however, the blond didn't seem to know what to do with himself now that he wasn't going off about Near or hitting the books. He looked so lost and Matt didn't like it. He wished things could just go back to how they were before Near entered the equation, before he found out what L had done...

There were a lot of things, Matt was beginning to realize, that he didn't like all that much lately. He slid from the edge of his bed and turned on his play station and chose a two player game.

"Mello, play a game with me?" he asked. He knew Mello didn't generally like his games, but Mello needed something to put his mind too, even if it were something he usually thought was mindless.

Mello was silent for so long that Matt's hopes sank until suddenly Mello was sitting next to him on the floor. "Alright." the blond said softly. He took hold of one of the controllers, like he had seen Matt do, and waited.

Matt smiled brightly and Mello gave him a small smile in return.

"We'll play a fighting game. I figured you might enjoy it." and there was no real skill to a fighting game, you just had to be good at button mashing. At least in Matt's opinion.

And Mello, as it turned out, wasn't too bad at that. Or at least at that game. Matt watched, from the corner of his eyes, as Mello threw his entire self into the game. And dare Matt think it, even enjoyed himself too.

Matt knew that he just had to keep Mello occupied until after dinner, which anytime after, Near should be there. But as he saw Mello's purse his lips and hit the buttons harder, he didn't believe it would be a problem.

Maybe Mello really had just needed something to occupy his thoughts, something other than actual _thoughts._ Matt knew all too well about that...

But whatever the reason, Mello sat and played the game with him for quite some time. Until he had gotten tired of constantly loosing. Though to Mello's credit Matt had actually had to _try_. After that though, Mello had gone quiet again and the room felt unwelcome, even to Matt who lived in it.

Matt tried not to let it bother him though and sat and played a different game until, continuing it even long after dinner had passed, until around ten, when a soft knock came to the door. Mello was immediately in motion and wrenched the door open to reveal Near, who stood silently in the doorway.

"Get in here!" Mello hissed violently and shoved Near into the room and closed the door quietly even as Near stumbled to regain his balance. Matt sighed and shook his head. He patted the spot of floor next to him and Near sat, though about a foot further from him.

Matt wasn't offended.

Mello sat down, closer to Matt, and crossed his arms bitterly, though he was still silent. Matt guessed he was going to have to be the one to initiate things again. Wasn't that great?

"Before we start, I want to make sure we are all on the same page. Or if either of you wish to correct me it is said now." Mello had nodded to the first part and seemed to ignore the other. It seemed that in Mello's mind there was nothing to correct.

"Matt's information is sound. But perhaps it wasn't L. There is no proof." Near stated. Mello's eyes widened in rage and Matt had to hold him back as he hissed angrily at the small albino child.

"Mello, calm down. Near is right. There is no actual proof that it is L, just someone close to him or someone close to Mr. Wammy." he felt the blond sag in his arms and his head was bowed.

"It doesn't matter! He knows! He has to. He's L. He solves the worlds worst crimes so he would notice this immediately if we did!" Mello growled, and only then did he push himself away from Matt.

"And if he doesn't know?" Near pressed.

"Then he isn't the best! I don't care, I don't want to be him, I don't want to be L! Not now, not ever. Especially if it is him..." Mello's voice had quietened towards the end and Matt itched to comfort him. Though it confused him a little at the same time. Mello was allowing Near to see weakness...

But Mello had also brought about the subject that Matt had wished to put off until later, even as Near agreed with Mello on not wanting to become L any longer. The bonds of family, dead or not, were stronger than the strength of L, it seemed.

"I disagree with you both on this however." Near actually locked gazes with him as Mello practically snapped his neck with the force in which he turned to look at him, betrayal in his eyes.

"I think that one of you, or even both of you, should become L if only to change things from the inside and make sure this doesn't happen ever again." there, he thought, he had said it. The room lapsed into silence and Matt wondered if perhaps, he had missed something. Was his idea really that bad?

Then Near's gaze went back to the small robot he'd brought along and Mello nodded slowly at first but then more vigorously. "That's a good idea." Mello mumbled. "That's a real good idea... we should have thought of it." and Matt knew that he was referring to himself and Near.

"If we had been paying attention like Matt had, then none of this would have come as a shock to us... then we wouldn't have to leave all the work to him..." Mello trailed off. And Matt knew it was the closest Mello would come to admitting that he had been consumed with competition, that he had lost sight of things. But Matt wouldn't fault him, or Near.

"I don't want it Near, you can be L. I'll back off so he'll choose you." Mello stated finally.

"Mello-"

"It's not a good idea." Matt said before Near could protest further. He had seen it in the albino's eyes. Near knew as well why it wasn't a good idea, but Matt knew that it would only irritate Mello that Near had gotten it before him. Matt knew that it had to come from him or Mello's own mind. Because Mello only saw him as a friend and wouldn't mind his intelligence.

"If you suddenly start dropping in your grades it will look funny, and it will bring suspicion onto us, even if only a small amount, as there is no real reason for it." he told the blond, who hung his head again, shoulders slumped.

"Perhaps if Mello's gradually began to slip it would appear that he was cracking under the pressure." Near stated thoughtfully, or at least as thoughtfully as he could sound in his deadpan voice.

"Then L would be more likely to choose you." Mello finished.

"It does not matter who of us he chooses. We will work together regardless." Near stated and Matt could hear the underlying outstretch of friendship. Near, Matt suspected, despite the competition, which may have only been on Mello's side, had always wanted to be Mello's friend but had never known how to ask.

"Yeah, we will." Mello muttered, though from his tone he either hadn't caught Near's silent offer or had chosen to ignore it. Near did not appear affected other than the slightly less fluent actions of his toy.

But it was some sort of progress that Mello was at least willing to cooperate, and Near should at least be happy with that for the moment.

And though they hadn't really decided a lot that night, hadn't really come up with any sort of plan at all, Matt knew that they needed time to digest everything before they pursued anything else.

"Well see you again tomorrow, Near?" Matt asked after a lengthy silence. Near took the question for what it was, a dismissal for the evening, and nodded his head. Matt stood and let him out, locking the door behind him.

Despite the horrible circumstances, he was glad to be interacting with the little albino.

Matt looked over at Mello, still seated on the floor, who had his fists clenched. "I messed up even now that we aren't competing! I can't think as good as him or even you, I'm useless!" Mello growled bitterly. Matt should have known that something was brewing since the moment Near had first corrected Mello that evening; he really shouldn't have been surprised..

He didn't even think about his actions as he crouched beside Mello and enveloped his friend in a hug for the second time in twenty-four hours. "You're not useless, you are just overwhelmed with your emotions at the moment. Its nothing to be ashamed of. Near has set his aside, or pushed them to the back of his mind for the moment." he murmured.

"Then maybe I should act more like Near!" Mello shouted and tried to wiggle out of Matt's grasp.

"No." he told Mello firmly and tightened his grip on the blond. "I don't want you to act like Near because I like you as Mello. Because_ you_ are my friend." Mello stopped fighting and Matt felt his friend trembling and felt the fingers that gripped weakly at the fabric of his shirt.

Mello may have been emotional, but that was what made Mello who he was. And Matt didn't ever want him to change. He had made Matt interested in the world again, not Near. But he didn't say those things to the blond.

He knew that it would probably be one of the last few times Mello let himself break before he pulled himself back together, and in a way Matt was sad. He didn't like to see Mello in pain, but he liked to know that he could help. When Mello was back to normal he knew it would be almost impossible for him to help simply because Mello wouldn't let him.

But as long as Mello didn't let himself get overwhelmed then it was alright.

"Sorry Matt..." Mello told him tiredly. He made a small shushing noise and felt Mello relax more in his grip. Mello would be stronger tomorrow, but Matt knew it was important for him to just let it be for now.

And Mello did too since he didn't apologize or attempt to move again.

Matt wasn't sure where exactly the new path they had chosen would take them, Near included, but it didn't matter, not really.

Because even if Mello told him to leave and never come back, he would still be standing beside his friend, always.

**-End _Comfort_- **

**AN:** Yay for emo Mello? Idk, I think it's cute... I doubt that Mello would have been able to keep himself together in these circumstances... but I don't think he'd get weepy every five seconds either.. idk, maybe its just me?

What do you think?

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Living in a fantasy, critter141151, RainbowJapan, Nothing's Sorrow, Chasing, schoolkid, JJ, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, PrincessPika, The Petit Filous Girl, DiabolicaJeevas

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	7. Chapter 6: Descent

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note (I say the same thing ALL THE TIME, so you'd think you'd get that I don't own it... damn you are slow...)

**AN:** As I originally write this I'm on my day off from work and am editing the last chapter of Choices (that long ago I know lol) and I've found that I'm in love with this fic almost as much as I was with Choices, though this has a different feel. **shrugs **

**Random Review Responses (RRR XD)  
-**schoolkid: thank you! And this really needed a summary change. That was part of the review problem, the summary sucked. I KNEW as soon as I originally posted this the summary would be a problem.

-Zellicy : XD the lack of reviews kinda irks me too (though I am happy, more than happy, with the 13 I got for last chappy) but short of withholding chapters like other authors do (which I DISPISE btw) there's nothing I can do but bribe everyone with oneshot prizes XD

-Miharu is Haruka's Love Child: You can haz kiss nao Mihael… ohhh you meant the fic, well in like 18 chapters? XD Keep up the touching huh? And yeah…. Near is probably a bigger role (I wrote roll, oops?) in here than you'd like. XD

**-**Holli-chan: I use copy and paste for most fics (I read them at night in my room with no internet) including yours! (Did I mention I'm HORRIBLE with reviewing? Maybe it's come back to bite me in the…) Is this a soon enough update? ^_^

**Suggested Listening**: Shatter Me With Hope **by** HIM

**Chapter Six**: _Descent _

Mello seemed much calmer the next morning, still down, but more himself as he chomped happily on his chocolate. It brought a smile to Matt's lips as he watched from under the cover of his goggles.

Though he was still bothered by something.

It was Friday, the last day of classes for the week, so Matt was a little anxious, that meant Near would probably be spending more time with them that night and the next few days. He hoped that everything ran smoothly.

He just wasn't sure just how much Mello could stand of the little albino...

Though he was certain that he would find out in the coming days, one way or another. It didn't bother him too much, he was sure Near wouldn't intentionally try to cause trouble... hopefully.

"Mello?" Matt questioned the blond, who stood in preparation of leaving for breakfast. Mello looked at him quizzically, head cocked to the side.

"Books." Matt reminded him. Just because Mello no longer wanted to become L, or kill himself studying at any rate, didn't mean he didn't have to keep up appearances. And Matt hated that he had to be the one to remind him as Mello's smile fell.

"Oh yeah..." Mello replied softly and bent at the hip to pick a few of them off the floor. He would never fool anyone with that look. Matt dropped his game to the bed and brought his hands up to Mello's face and stretched Mello's frown into a smile.

"Pretences." was all he said before he dropped his hands down to his side, though he did grin at Mello's look of surprise and the soft blush that tinged his friends skin with a light pink. It was kind of cute.

He followed Mello out of the room a few minutes later, after Mello had composed himself, and they sat together at the table. He spied Near as the albino glanced at them from the other table. He knew that Near wanted to sit with them, but for the moment it was impossible.

Mello ate his food while a textbook lie open in front of him, his eyes going over it as though he were actually fervently studying it. But Matt knew better. Mello's eyes had a slightly glazed look to them so he knew the blond was occupied within his own thoughts.

At least this time though, Matt knew that the blond wouldn't ignore him should he try to catch his attention. To others, he supposed, it may just seem as though they had had a small fight and resolved it.

Matt just hoped that if any of the staff were watching they wouldn't think anything other than that; wouldn't look further into it. He nudged the blond in the leg as he had hardly eaten and Mello smiled weakly and bite into a breakfast roll halfheartedly.

Matt sighed but didn't press the issue. If it went on for more than one more meal he would, but for now it just wasn't worth it.

Breakfast ended and time melted into the first class of the day. And from what he saw, Matt knew it would be a long day. The entire class was enamored with the teacher and the prospect of getting to review old cases that L had solved, in deduction class, save for three people.

Though Matt wasn't sure if he should include himself in that three or not since he had never been all that interested...

With Near it wasn't so easy to tell, as his facial expressions never changed, nor his body language, but if one looked at the way he played with his toys it was obvious. Or at least to Matt. If Near was looking to seek attention from someone, the playing and patters that his toys danced to were more intricate and flashy.

If he was thinking, the play would be slower and more methodical, strategic.

And if he was just playing or bored, everything would simply be chaotic. Disoriented. The same went if he were stressed. And from the lack of pattern during the teachers lecture, he was bored. Though considering the past few days it was possible that it was a mix of a few things.

With Mello however, Matt could easily see that the blond was struggling with his attempt at acting as though everything were normal. That he was still interested in everything about L. Mello still held a wide lipped smile and his eyes were still locked on the teacher but there was a strain to the smile.

And if one actually paid attention to the blond they would notice his gaze was actually on the wall behind the teacher. He was probably attempting to count the small and almost invisible cracks in it.

He sighed softly.

Perhaps he should have kept everything to himself. Sure they deserved to know, but they would have been happier not knowing, right?

Had it been the right thing to do, telling them?

How was he to know...

Damn L, or Mr. Wammy or whoever put him in that difficult position. Damn them all.

Matt almost allowed his expression to fall into something distinctly unhappy before he remembered he was supposed to be the apathetic one. The one who generally didn't care about _anything_.

Not even Mello or Near should know just how worried he was over it. Mello may not have unraveled quite that bad, and Near may not have been showing it quite yet, but neither of them would be able to deal with the knowledge that he may be just as jarred by all of it as them.

Whether or not the other two understood it, they were leaning on him for support, because he was the only constant. And no matter what he felt, he had to maintain that image for them. Once again, Matt wondered how he had gotten into that mess.

By the time lunch appeared Matt was ready to bang his head against a wall just to stop the direction of his thoughts. Whenever he wasn't able to drown his darker thoughts out with games, hacking or sleep he always dug himself into a hole with the circles his brain went in.

In his hurry to make sure Mello had his textbooks, and everything else that had seemed glued to him in the last weeks, he had forgotten his game on the bed. So he had had nothing to entertain him for the last few hours other than his thoughts.

It had not been a pleasant experience in the least, but he would be the last to blame Mello for something like that. So for Matt, lunch hadn't arrived soon enough. He had practically run past Mello and back to their room in his haste to get his games.

He was incredibly bored without them and he knew that Mello wouldn't mind much as he couldn't function properly without his customary chocolate in hand either. To each their own. And they all had their addictions.

He checked the battery on the handheld before he rushed to meet Mello in the dining hall. And once there, he held out his game to the blond before he could even think to question him. "I left it in the room earlier."

Mello nodded in understanding and went back to his textbooks though Matt knew he wasn't actually interested in them, and had anyone looked they would have spotted the book that was nestled in the middle of it, a mystery novel perhaps?

Not that it really mattered, Matt was only mildly curious.

And despite the rather bland lunch Matt couldn't help but want it to last a little longer. He didn't want to return to classes so quickly though he knew there was no choice in the matter. He supposed it could have been worse.

L could have scheduled one of his computerized 'meetings' for them. He doubted that Mello could have worked himself into a state where he appeared happy about it at the moment. Thankfully, at least to Matt's knowledge, there was nothing scheduled or in the works.

Which left them in the boring classes. He knew that should they completely agree on succeeding L, as everything was still too new for them to truly have come to any one decision after only one night of talking, that they would have to catch up on what they were tuning out.

But as Wammys top three he doubted they needed to study to understand all of it. While still young, they were in a league far above the other L contenders. And they knew it. It was why none of them ever bothered much with the other children and vice versa.

For so long Matt had been the benchmark to beat and he had _hated_ it. Then Mello had come along and knocked him aside and he hadn't minded one bit. The two of them were perfectly suited to be friends _because _Matt didn't care.

Then Near came and was smarter then the both of them. It had been a bitter pill for Mello to swallow and Matt doubted the blond ever would have ever gotten over it had it not been for the disastrous thing's he'd found.

Apart they weren't anything truly special, each with their own special traits and shortcomings, but together they could be something. Or at least Mello and Near together could be something, Matt was just a background player, at least that was what he saw himself as.

And truth be told it suited him better than anything else.

He watched as Mello was quiet in his walking back to class, and even more so in class despite the fake smiles and attention he was lavishing the teacher was glad no one else, besides perhaps Near, knew the blond as well as he did.

Matt paid only the barest amount of attention to the lesson, just in case he were asked a question, but mostly concentrated on watching Mello and Near while playing his handheld. He knew that each passing day would be just as boring and mind numbing from then on, more than it had been before, but also knew that there was no going back.

For any of them.

He wondered if the other two had figured that out yet, if it had sunk in yet. Matt wasn't so sure. Anger and denial were fickle things and until they were beaten into the background it was hard to say just what someone thought, even someone you knew almost better than yourself.

Mello twitched every time the teacher mentioned L and how great he was, being the best detective in the world, and decided that even if Mello was still allowing his anger to cloud things over, it was alright.

Because Mello at least focused with anger. Sometimes...

What Near thought was another matter entirely and Matt found he didn't really want to try to figure out that puzzle, at least not until he knew the boy better. And with how much he was sure he would be seeing of him in the coming days, months and possibly even years, he was sure he would get to know him at least a little.

His attention was perked as the teacher mentioned them each being assigned a partner, of sorts, for the new project. Though they would be having partners, they would also be competing against them.

It was a race to solve the case before the other, and once it was done, they had to collaborate and go over the data together and pick apart each others reasoning's. So not only would they be expected to compete against the class as a whole, not that it really mattered, they would be going against their partner.

Matt thought it was a grandly stupid idea. He wondered just how many would get worse marks on this than usual. And then the teacher began announcing the partners.

"Mello and Near." and then Matt thought that the project might have its merits.

Mello's chair slid back as he stood, a look of absolute shock and fury on his face, though Matt could tell that most of it was faked this time, as he slapped his hands on the desk and shouted in objection.

The project would give Near a definite excuse to visit their room, the only problem being the fact that he would have to work with someone else. Matt watched as the blond stormed from the room after he'd snarled something at Near, who looked rather amused in his own way, and almost smiled.

Had any of Mello's act been real he might have feared a little for Near's safety, but for the moment at least, Mello had been faking. Though his emotions were volatile so it was possible come a day or so from now he would mean it.

Being around Near for any length of time tended to do that to Mello, even in the best of circumstances. Though to be fair, Matt knew that Mello had never before attempted to control himself around the albino.

He had never wanted to. Not at all in the short time he'd known him, which Mello stated felt like eons rather than the few short weeks. The blond tended to be overly dramatic at times.

Mello hadn't returned to class, not that Matt had expected him to, as even now it would have seemed too much like defeat, like slinking back after having licked his wounds, and even if it were faked it was not something the blond would ever do.

It was not something _anyone _expected him to do.

And Matt had never been more thankful for the end of class as he was after they'd been told to meet with their partners, as he'd been stuck with Linda; an energetic pigtail-haired girl who was better suited as an artist than a detective. Matt generally rather liked to ignore her as she tended to annoy everyone, including himself.

She was a natural gossip and talked about everything and anyone with anyone in earshot. She was also not afraid to ramble on about inane and _pointless _things that happened in her daily life. She was nice, but she was _annoying_. And a snoop.

Matt would have rather been paired with anyone else.

But from the way the teacher had gone about assigning partners it would have been impossible. First with second, third with forth and so on. Linda was ranked forth, though Matt had yet to figure out _why_.

"Hey Matt! Matt wai-" he slammed the bedroom door in her face and locked the door behind him. He looked up from his game to find Mello stretched across his bed and stretching in a cat-like manor with a squeak.

It was almost cute.

"You got stuck with Linda, you poor soul." Mello mumbled with a half-grin. Linda continued to knock on the door for another minute or so before yelling to him that she would be back after she had solved the case.

They had been given a week to do so, though it was expected that they solve it sooner or there wouldn't be anytime for the rest of the project. That and it had been hinted that L had solved it in just over a day.

Matt guessed that most would make critical mistakes in their haste to solve it fast. He didn't feel bad for those mindless sheep. "Have you looked the case yet?" Mello asked him and he shook his head.

He hadn't exactly been paying all that much attention to the words coming out of Linda's mouth so much as hoping that they would stop. She had a way of breaking your train of thought until it was nothing more than scattered ideas that you were unable to string back together until you were out of her presence.

Perhaps her field would best be interrogation and information gathering, she seemed innocent enough to disarm people who didn't know her and had a unique effect on people. Or something like that.

"Will the two of you be able to behave when I have to work with her?" he asked as he slumped to the floor in front of his playstation. Mello snorted and Matt heard the snap of chocolate.

"If Near can. Besides, I doubt we'll be working on that too much. More like pretending." Matt nodded to him, though he still heard the uncertainty in Mello's voice. It would definitely take more than a few days for the blond to get used to the idea that Near was not the enemy he had made him out to be.

But he was making progress and that was the best Matt could hope for.

"Just make sure to keep me informed on whatever you two decide, alright?" he told the blond. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the way Mello froze, as though he hadn't even considered discussing anything without Matt there. It made him smile.

Even though Mello hadn't said anything back, Matt knew that Mello's answer was yes. Worse came to worse, if for whatever reason he was not able to see Mello's for any length of time, or in private enough for things to be gone over, there was always Near.

Though Matt was not so sure that would be a good idea quite yet; going to Near instead of Mello, that is. But if it came to it, Matt would do it, and Mello would just have to get over it if he had a problem.

But whatever happened, Matt was sure that things would be alright. With the three of them working together, what could go wrong?

While Mello stared out the window, looking over the now overcast skies, Matt entertained himself with playing Zelda. It wasn't the best of games, he'd rather play Mario but that game had disappeared from his shelf a while ago and hadn't returned since, but it helped to pass the time until dinner.

Mello brought a textbook with him, with his novel stuffed in the middle amidst papers, and Matt brought his handheld. As Near passed them in the hallway on the way there, he inclined his head ever so slightly in greeting, and Matt was almost surprised as Mello nodded back before he adopted a look of utter disdain.

Matt just kept his expression neutral, bland, though inwardly he was smiling.

**-End _Descent_-**

**AN: **And things finally start to come together now... :) Poor Matt, having to work with Linda... and I wonder where his Mario game went... heh.

Also let me remind everyone that the 100th signed review gets a prize XD

And as usual, if I missed stuff while editing in this crappy eye killing lighting (which im sure I did) please tell me and I will fix it immediately.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Holli-chan, Living in a fantasy, critter141151, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, Chasing, Zellicy, RainbowJapan, PrincessPika, schoolkid, Sisyphean Effort, meisu, The Petit Filous Girl

Review?


	8. Chapter 7: Enough

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note.

**AN**: Hm... not much to say about this one... other than I adored some of the cute moments there were... and that I forgot what this chapter was about until I edited it …..yeah... that what being 25 chapters ahead of posting can do to you XD (im on chapter 33….. so…)

**Random Review Responses**:

**JJ:** No it's not Choices all over again, of that I can promise….. *starts cackling* unlike Choices, there will be smex. And lots of it… and other stuff XD

Zellicy: I wonder where you think this is going...

PrincessPika: Maybe and maybe not….. who knows what Linda will do other than be a pest XD

Holli-chan: Yeah… I update faster but that's because my chapters are like a third of the size! *once tried to make long chapters, died from editing them, so no more long chapters XD*

**Suggested Listening**: Not Enough **by** Lacuna Coil

**Chapter Seven: **_Enough _

When Near knocked on their door that evening Mello had immediately tensed and accidently crushed the chocolate he'd been holding. Matt would have laughed had Mello's expression not been so stricken. It _was _his last bar.

With the exception of the emergency supply Matt had taken to keeping, though Mello didn't know about it yet. He would probably have to reveal it later on though.

He turned his game off and went to let Near in, and once the door was securely locked behind them, and they were seated on the floor, silence descended on them. Matt wondered, if things started out like this every time, what would actually get discussed once he had to spend most of his time with Linda for the project?

He sighed.

"Perhaps..." Near surprised him as he spoke quietly as he played with the rubix cube he had brought. "Perhaps we should leave Wammys." he finished.

Matt hadn't thought the albino would have been the one to suggest it. And from Mello's gaping jaw, he hadn't either. "What the _hell_?" Mello hissed.

"We would leave and take L's place at a later date. We would also be out of reach of Wammys influence." Near finished, though by the fact that he hadn't finished the cube, as Matt knew he should have by then, that he was waiting for Mello's reply with rapt attention. Matt wondered if Mello saw it yet.

"I don't like it. Too many things could go wrong with that." Mello stated with narrowed eyes. Near hunched a little further over the cube and Matt almost sighed again. Mello never did like the idea of backing away from a challenge, even to regroup, as it felt too much like failure to him.

"However... we should go through with the scenario as a backup plan." Near's head shot up at Mello's words and Matt swore he heard the boys neck crack. Near's lips twitched, as though he'd thought of saying something, but the moment passed and he merely nodded.

"It's always good to have more than one plan of action." Matt said to break the silence. Mello nodded and leaned back, eyeing the crumbled remained of his chocolate before popping a piece in his mouth. It was strange to watch as the customary_ snap _hadn't come.

"Where would we go?" he prompted and watched as the other two's minds got going.

"Matt, you hack things, do you not?" Near asked. Matt nodded, not quite sure where the question was leading. "Then if we left, Matt would be able to hack our inheritance. We could go wherever we wanted until the time was right."

Mello hummed in agreement.

"I'm glad you both seem to think so highly of me, but I'm not sure I'd be able to pull it off with the updated systems. Not to mention, I'm sure L has that heavily guarded." he didn't mean to throw a wrench into the plan, but if it was based solely on his hacking ability, then it was flawed.

He was good, great even, but he was far from the best if all the times he'd gotten caught were taken into account.

"Matt does not put enough faith in his abilities." Near stated as he pressed a stand of hair between his fingers.

"No, he doesn't." Mello agreed with his calculating eyes trained on him. Matt sighed. It wasn't that he didn't know he was the best hacker at Wammys, but he wasn't better than L, and that was what counted, to him at least. But he didn't bother attempting to explain that to them, it would have been a wasted effort.

The rest of the time was filled with the three of them tossing idea's back and forth on where exactly they would go, as they would have to have things planned out if it were to actually be called a backup _plan_.

Then only got as far as covering up their immediate trail as they had kept getting sidetracked. But it was probably for the best, as they were all a bit drained from the days classes.

After Near left Matt saw how awkward Mello was being, pacing a few steps only to stop, and toying with the ends of his long sleeves. After a few minutes he paced up to Matt and instead of stopping and continuing the awkward display, sat down.

Mello sighed heavily and leaned into Matt's side, his head resting on the redheads shoulder. Matt smiled a little and took out his game. Though he did notice the way Mello eyed his empty chocolate wrapper forlornly; he could practically see Mello's anxiety levels rising from not having his addiction sated.

Wordlessly he scooted away from the blond, who looked a little startled, and got up to cross the room. He noted the way Mello seemed to shrink in on himself and cursed silently. He shouldn't have broken the contact like that, not when Mello had initiated it.

He hadn't meant to hurt him, and should have realized Mello would take his action badly. But it couldn't be helped at the moment, what's done was done.

He was at his dresser in moments and rummaged around the second draw, towards the middle, and knew that Mello was watching him curiously despite feeling hurt. His fingers finally brushed against the foil wrapped treat and his lips twitched.

He pulled it free of the confines of his clothing and walked back over to Mello and sat down next to him. He held out the bar and watched as Mello widened his eyes. The blond tentatively took the chocolate. "Thank you..." he whispered.

Mello unwrapped the tip of it and took a small bite. It broke and crunched loudly under the pressure of his teeth. Only Mello was able to create that exact sound. Mello paused, half-way into the next bite before he hesitantly leaned against him again.

Matt gave him a smile and leaned in too. It was comfortable, sitting with Mello like that, with their backs against the bed. And not for the first time, Matt was glad that Mello had come to Wammys, despite the obvious hurt it had caused him.

Matt doubted he would have ever gotten curious enough, or worried enough, to uncover what he had otherwise. Whether or not it was a good thing remained to be seen. Mello curled his hand under Matt's arm and leaned in closer as he nursed the chocolate.

Eventually Mello's breathing had evened out and Matt was surprised to find that he had fallen asleep. He looked at the serene expression on the blond's face and Matt knew he would never regret anything as long as Mello was always his friend.

Mello was that important to him.

.

Matt awoke in the morning, or what he took as morning, when Mello had fallen into his lap during sleep, startling them both.

"Damn, sorry!" Mello exclaimed and turned away to hide the blush he wore, though Matt wouldn't have said anything as his own face felt like a furnace. He did laugh though, as it was the kind of situation one only found in comedies.

Even though Mello's face was turned, Matt could see the way his cheeks puffed a little, indicating that he was smiling. All awkwardness aside, it _had_ at least been a little humorous. Matt stumbled to his feet, his body protesting after being hunched for so long, and blinked wearily at the clock.

"Mello, we have about five minutes before we are late to breakfast." he told his friend. Mello swore and stood on shaky legs, flinging clothing as he rushed over to his dresser. Matt looked away with a shake of his head and decided that the only thing he would change was his shirt. At least for the moment; he would just take a shower later.

It wasn't ever advisable to be late to breakfast on the weekends, as most of the tasty food, or as Mello would call it, edible, was already gone. There was a small, marginally small Matt believed, chance that there would still be good food left.

Though Matt held little hope. He didn't truly care much, as he would eat something regardless. But Mello was far pickier at times and would forgo eating should it not meet his standards.

"Let's go!" Mello yelled as he dragged Matt from their room. Matt sighed but kept pace with Mello until they got outside the doors of the dining hall, where Mello had paused to glance at the rankings sheet, before darting inside.

Matt knew that it would take time for Mello to get over the fact that the rankings didn't matter anymore, that he didn't need to compete with Near any more. Matt just hoped that it didn't take_ too_ long.

As Matt had expected, the pickings were slim, and when it had appeared that Mello might just suffer without breakfast Matt found a chocolate chip muffin and handed it to the blond, who smiled gratefully.

It wasn't the best of things, but it was food. And it had chocolate in it which would ensure that it was devoured. As they sat, Matt spotted Near sitting at his usual spot, though he was stacking what appeared to be coffee creamers.

Near didn't generally eat breakfast on the weekends, for whatever reason, and yet he still made an appearance. It was as though he were on an internal schedule and hadn't thought to change it for those days.

Matt picked unenthusiastically at his own food, only taking bites when Mello was watching him. He could be such a hypocrite at times... but at least he could admit it. He just wasn't all that hungry for some reason, as he could usually eat what was currently on his plate.

He hoped he wasn't' getting sick...

"Hey Matt! We need to talk." Matt sighed heavily at the, sadly, all too familiar voice.

"Have you solved the case yet?" he questioned the brown haired girl. She shook her head shyly, her pigtails swishing back and forth.

"Then there is nothing to talk about." he told her. She blushed and opened her mouth to say something more when children began to leave their seats to dispose of their food. Matt grinned despite himself. Saved by the end of breakfast... or perhaps not as it was the weekend.

Mello seemed to get the hint and they quickly left while Linda was distracted. Again, it wasn't that she wasn't nice and all, but she was annoying. And Matt just didn't want to deal with her unless he had to.

That, and she was always... clingy with him, which was why he stayed away. He didn't understand it.

Someone called out his name, and as Mello was right next to him it could have only been Linda. He swore and pulled Mello into an empty classroom with him and shut the door. Mello, as Matt could tell, was fighting back laughter.

"You wouldn't be laughing if she was like that with you." he grumbled.

"No, because I would have told her off a long time ago, you're too nice at times for someone so anti-social." Mello told him with a grin, but Matt couldn't bring himself to be irritated. Instead, he shrugged.

They waited a in there a while longer before Mello had finally had enough and dragged them from the room, Linda or no Linda. As it turned out, the hallway was deserted and from what Matt could tell, most were outside as it was still sunny out.

Though the thick grey clouds that loomed in the distance promised rain.

They were back in their own room in no time, the only additive being that Near was in there was well. "Good morning Mello, Matt." the albino stated from the middle of the floor, a small army of toys spread about him.

Mello just sighed. "Any particular reason you couldn't wait for us before you let yourself in?"

"It would not be wise for me to be seen waiting outside of your room, project or not." and while Matt could think of a few flaws with that statement, he didn't say anything so as to not make trouble for Near. He suspected that Near just hadn't wanted to wait.

And with the amount of toys that scattered their floor, he could see why.

"Though I suppose for the sake of cover we should complete our project." Near told Mello, as Matt knew he had no part in that conversation. He watched as Mello's face drained of color for a moment.

"You solved it already?" he asked, voices slightly chipped. Near for once, shook his head. "I felt it would be best to simply work on it together, as there are far greater concerns at the moment. At any rate, results can easily be fabricated by the two of us."

Matt was surprised, as Mello smiled. Granted it was the one that spoke of trouble, a devious smirk, but it had been directed at what Near suggested rather than _at _Near. It was definitely a good sign.

Matt left the two of them at it and went to his games. If he were needed they would let him know. But he doubted it if they were doing the project. Matt found that it was oddly soothing to have the soft sounds of their voices in the background as he played, so when he could no longer hear them, he paused his game and looked up.

His eyes widened slightly at the sight that greeted him. Mello and Near had stopped working and were engaged in a silent battle using Near's toys. He honestly hadn't expected Mello to be coerced into something like that so soon, and with so little of a fuss that it hadn't alerted him.

Matt smiled slightly despite the familiar pang of loneliness stung at him. Though he knew there was nothing to worry about.

He refused to get ridiculous about all of this, and knew that Mello wouldn't desert him for Near. If anything, Near would become a friend to both of them out of this. He forced his eyes away from the scene and back to his neglected game; though by now he was unable to fully concentrate on it. Matt eventually conceded that he just wouldn't be able to continue on it any longer and shut the play station off.

He sighed. It was probably time that he actually 'looked' at the packet for the project and got to work on the case. Though he was rather bored with the entire thing. But he had to have something ready for Linda, as even should Mello or Near allow him to see the results of their own session, he wanted to have done it on his own.

Matt supposed that it was only the slight spark of competition, for what though he couldn't say, that was left in him.

The case was about a series of murders that had been committed years before; long enough that most if not all of the current Wammys children wouldn't have been born or too young to have been there.

They had been committed in their current country, England, though in a different area, more to the east then they were. He supposed he could see how it had attracted L's attention, being in the same country as he was, and with the victim toll looming nearly the twenties.

It was back before L was _L_.

There seemed to be no pattern; victims of all age, race and gender; and there were never any clues left at the scene of were the body was found. It had the police befuddled. And the rest of the world wondering if it would spread to them. It had been the talk of all the newspapers. It was one of the first cases that L had taken as L.

As Matt read on, the more interested he became, and he realized that it was probably part of the reason Mello and Near had stopped. They hadn't wanted to get sucked back into everything, especially the rivalry.

Matt had never really had that problem so he read on, finishing all of the material given; having known that the moment he stopped he would have been tempted to not finish it.

"Matt, are you done yet? I've been watching you read that for _hours_!" Mello's voice broke through his thoughts. He blinked and his surroundings came back to him. He turned his attention to Mello, who had a hand on his hip and was glaring at him, and to Near, who sat on the floor messing with his hair.

Had it really been hours?

"Yes it has!" Mello growled. "At first it was kind of amusing, since I never ever caught you studying, but now it's just annoying." the blond had narrowed his eyes and Matt thought that Near appeared just the slightest bit amused.

He knew he hadn't spoken aloud, so he must have let something in his expression slip. But he didn't really mind. He yawned and stretched. "I knew that if I stopped in the middle I wouldn't finish it."

Mello's anger seeped away in an instant and he snorted in amusement and Near allowed the tiniest of smiles. But it was true, had always been true; he didn't like to study and his attention always strayed to more important things. Like games or hacking. Or lately, to Mello.

"Only you Matt." Mello muttered in what Matt would call, a fond voice.

"Did the two of you finish reading it?" Matt questioned as he stood, letting the papers fall from his lap.

"We each read half and recapped. We didn't start the actual project yet though..." Mello trailed off. Matt knew that he wanted to get the project over and done with and had a feeling Near only wanted to draw it out as an excuse to hang around the room more.

He was surprised at how blind Mello was being about the entire situation. Then again, Near was sort of hard to read if you weren't actually looking for it.

"It doesn't really matter when it gets done, does it?" he questioned with a smile to which Mello shrugged. "I suppose not." he replied, though clearly unhappy with the answer.

"I shall be here again after dinner." Near stated before he got up, the conversation seemingly complete to him, and left the room.

"He damn well better be back!" Mello snarled. "He left all of his damn toys here!" the blond kicked a robot and watched in satisfaction as it skidded across the room. Matt sighed and shook his head.

"Let's just go eat dinner." he told Mello. He knew the only reason Near would have left is if it were actually almost dinner.

"Yeah... alright. That sounds good." Mello nodded to him and in a surprise movement grabbed his hand and dragged him from the room. Matt couldn't help the heat that rose to his face, but couldn't, for the life of him, figure out _why_.

He grinned despite it all.

Mello was back, and that was all that mattered.

**-End **_**Enough**_**-**

**AN**: Yes, a slow chapter, but it wont stay that way for long :P

I will say this only once... this will NOT end up as Choices did. Though as to what EXACTLY I mean by that... you will just have to read to find out. XD

Also let me remind everyone that the 100th signed review gets a prize XD

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, JJ, Living in a fantasy, schoolkid, Chasing, Zellicy, critter141151, Deadly Nightshade1395, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, PrincessPika, Holli-chan

Review?

Plez?


	9. Chapter 8: Innocence

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note

**AN**: Ohhhhhhh I love this chapter for some reason, but I love the next one more. You'll see why. Hehehehe.

And before I forget, you all might want to vote on my new profile poll... as it determines the ending to this... Good ending? Bad ending? Well see. XD

**Suggested Listening**: I Don't Care **by** Fallout Boy**;** Play Dead **by** The Birthday Massacre (randomly I was adding older music to my playlist and found this and squealed like a teenager... I love this song! This band is awesome)

**Chapter Eight**:_ Innocence _

Near had indeed come back there the night before, and had stayed for quite a while before the three of them had called a quits, despite it being a Saturday night which allowed them to stay up however long they wanted. But Matt knew that they needed time apart, mainly Mello away from Near, so that they didn't get annoyed with one another. Familiarity breeds contempt, as it were.

Now, in the early morning hours of Sunday, just after breakfast, Matt wished he could rewind the day or perhaps even pause time, even if only for a short while. He knew that he would have to deal with Linda again that day, but he didn't want to.

She had bothered him even before the project, and now with the chance to work with him, she would never leave him alone. He disliked it. He couldn't say he hated it, because there were only a small amount of things he actually hated, current L situation being at the top.

He sighed but smirked slightly at the still hesitant knock that came to their door even though it opened mere seconds later. "Why do you bother to knock if you just barge in anyway?" Mello asked rhetorically from his perch on his bed.

Matt had begun to wonder when the small albino would make his appearance that day, as he had figured it would have been directly after breakfast. And despite knowing he wouldn't be able to participate in their interactions until their project was completed, Matt liked that Near was there.

It at least gave Mello something more to do other than sit there and stare blankly out the window as he munched on his chocolate; his thoughts ever the mystery to Matt. Mello was sometimes so easy to read that it seemed like every thought and feeling played out across his face, and others times, like now, he was completely closed off.

So if Near was able to distract Mello in a way that he couldn't, then Matt was happy.

To an extent, at any rate.

Matt figured, as the other two were working on the project, which would probably be called cheating with the way they were going about it, it was time to get to solving his own.

Now Matt knew that he was far from stupid, but he really wasn't motivated in this kind of thing. He'd never wanted to be a detective, not even before he'd been shipped off to Wammys, and certainly not now. So he found the task of solving the murder cases, while slightly interesting to read, rather boring and tedious.

He hated to think what would have happened had Mello and Near not appeared there...

Idly, as he went over the information again in his head, he wondered how long it had taken L to solve it. Then he grinned. He wondered how long it would have taken the three of them to solve it had they actually been working at it diligently, as was expected.

Though Matt never truly worked at anything diligently other than his games, and perhaps hacking. He tapped a pen against his lips and uninterestedly typed his thoughts on the case into his laptop.

Matt knew they needed to breach the L subject again, but knew that none of them actually wanted to at the moment. It was nice to pretend if only for a while, that things were ok. That they had decided on the camaraderie all on their own rather than because of a situation that was out of their hands.

Pretend, Matt mused, was a lovely thing indeed.

By the time lunch had rolled around, Matt had narrowed his initial suspicions down to two suspects, though he had yet to string the evidence to tie either of them into it; it was merely a gut feeling about them. And while had the urge to simply ask Mello if he was right about one of them, he resisted.

He needed to find out on his own, or his work wouldn't end up looking like his own. He usually came about his finding different than Mello and Near, and it would probably be reflected in the final product should he receive help from either of them.

He wondered if they noticed that they could work together so completely, that their train of thought, while different, was eerily similar enough to mesh well?

Matt saved the document and waited for the other two to finish their current thoughts before they headed down to lunch, though Near walked at a far slower pace so that they did not arrive together.

Lunch, in Matt's case, seemed to rush by. He didn't normally mind, as he was usually doing something other than work, but with what awaited him upon the return to their room, Matt was less than enthusiastic.

He wondered if it would always be that bad now that he knew about L. It would be a long few years until L chose his successor.

"Matt! Wait up!" Linda, as he would recognize her voice _anywhere_, to run from, shouted at him as he and Mello got up to leave. He sighed and ignored her. He didn't even see why she was bothering him when he knew Linda wasn't smart enough to have figured out the case yet.

Yes she was in the top ten, but anything after third and you may as well have been dead last. Matt had never taken much stock in the rankings, but he'd make an exception for Linda. She was persistent though, he'd give her that.

He caught Mello smirking at him as they hurried, well Matt hurried, back to their room. Mello wouldn't have thought it so funny if a week ago Near had been doing that to him. Matt had to choke back a laugh at the image the thought had produced.

It was too hilarious for words.

Mello had arched an eyebrow, once inside the safety of their locked room, but he hadn't answered and instead merely shrugged a shoulder which he was sure hadn't quelled the blond's curiosity on the matter.

But he doubted Mello would want to know either... not really.

Mello eventually sighed and flopped onto the bed. Without Near he couldn't, or perhaps didn't want to, continue on the project. Matt however, could. He started the annoying task or rereading the case to find the evidence to back up his hunches.

He needed motives, though sometimes they weren't as clear as money or passion, as well as things to tie one of them to the murders. Knowing L, it had been some obscure thing that most everyone would overlook.

When the door was knocked on later, Matt hadn't looked at the lock before he'd started so he couldn't say how much time had passed, he assumed it was Near and unlocked the door only to stare directly at Roger as well as Linda.

Lovely.

He didn't say anything and waited until Roger got annoyed, hardly a minute later, and spoke up. "Linda tells me that you refuse to work with her on the project." Roger clearly didn't care, but had probably been coerced into it by Linda.

"Why bother when she isn't even done solving the case yet; unless I was mistaken in understanding the directions concerning the assignment?" Matt heard Mello snickering in the background and knew why.

"Linda has solved it." Roger told him. Matt blinked. Sure she had...

"Really now?" he drawled out while looking at the girl. Linda blushed and looked at her feet while Roger merely sighed. "I didn't think so." Matt had really had enough of all this and closed the door in their faces and locked it again.

Mello, as he had looked over at a snort, had fallen to his side and was shaking with mirth. "What's so funny?" he questioned.

"Y-you... you didn't see their faces?" Mello gasped. Matt could honestly say that he had never seen Mello in such a state before, just as much as he could say he hadn't been looking at Roger or Linda's faces as he shut the door in their faces.

"It was priceless... I never thought you just completely dismiss them like that. And I doubt they did either; you're usually so calm." Mello had finally sat up, tears in his eyes, and was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Matt knitted his eyebrows together. He hadn't thought he'd been anything other than calm... perhaps a little annoyed... he honestly couldn't see what had been so funny. He grinned, despite his confusion, it had made Mello laugh, so whatever he'd done was ok.

With that little interruption over with he forced himself to go back to the case. Though it did remind him of Linda for a moment; he was tired of having to push her away constantly, but figured that until the project was over and done with he would just have to deal with it.

He was skimming over supposed alibis when another knock came to the door, this time though Mello got up to get it and he shot the blond an appreciative look garnered a smirk. Matt was more than happy to find that it was Near and no one else.

The more time the tiny albino spent with them, or at least Mello, the more Matt got used to, and even looked foreword to his company. It wasn't all that strange though, as Near really wasn't all that bad, just very, horribly, socially awkward.

But Matt supposed it didn't really matter, everyone at Wammys was in some way or another.

He vaguely noted that they seemed to have moved on from the case to the final potion of the project, and by final he meant finalizing. They had probably already been close to finishing and were just tweaking things now.

He hit a slight snag in the case, though he knew he was close, and as his irritation sparked he knew he had to quit and go do something productive, like playing his games, or else he would end up deleting all of his work in a fit of spite.

That was why he couldn't be a detective. That and the whole no motivation thing, at any rate.

He didn't much care.

He thought he heard a soft laugh from the other side of the room as he turned on his gameboy, but didn't really pay much attention to it. He needed minor stress relief at the moment. And games were it.

He instantly felt the small amount of irritation that had built up slide away as he lost himself in the pixilated world that was Legend of Zelda. One could never go wrong with Zelda. He grinned as he found another heart in the grass and slashed away at the foe that appeared in the next square. He had just started the level and knew there would be a while before it was completed.

Though he wasn't completely surprised as the gameboy was taken out of his hands by a grinning blond. "Time to eat. I still don't know how you can play this for so long... it's like you go into withdrawals without it though."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Like you aren't the same with your chocolate." he took his game back and turned it off. He didn't mind as there had been nothing important happening and nothing worth saving.

Mello merely shrugged and Matt followed him from the room. At least Mello hadn't tried to deny it, it would have been a horrible lie and neither of them would have believed it. Though Matt did wonder where Near had gone, or rather when, as he didn't remember the albino leaving.

He saw Near as they entered the dining hall, though he did nothing more than the slight incline of his head before getting his food and sitting down next to Mello. Not many others sat down with them, or even near them. Matt knew that it was because of Mello's attitude and temper, but found that he didn't really mind as it meant they weren't bothered.

The only exception seemed to be Linda. He sighed as he noticed her stare on him. Recently it seemed she was always where he was, he just hadn't noticed it much before since he was always with Mello.

It seemed that the week or so that Mello had ignored him had given her hope or something. Though hope for _what_ exactly, eluded him. He didn't spare much thought on it, as he wasn't really bothered by it too much. After the project she wouldn't have an excuse to bother him, and he doubted Mello would let it continue for too long even if he didn't do something himself.

He finished his sandwich and looked up to find Mello looking at him expectantly. He instinctively looked down at his plate and removed the desert containing chocolate and handed it over. Mello smirked at him.

They didn't often have deserts containing cocoa so when they did Mello 'asked' for them. Matt smiled at that. He had only asked once and then expected them every other time. That was Mello for you.

He didn't need Mello to prompt him to leave once dinner was through, the way Linda eyed him made him think she would attempt something again, and really, why was she so persistent? He decided, formally, that he hated that project.

And what better revenge than to completely ignore his laptop when they got back to the room. Yeah, he was just lazy. But trying to rationalize it seemed fun. For a few seconds, before his games caught his eye.

"If you weren't so lazy I think you could easily rival Near or I." Mello told him with a sigh as he popped the disk into his Play Station. He grinned at the blond who merely sighed and in a surprise move sat down next to him. He didn't pick up the offered controller and instead just leaned against him with a head resting on his shoulder. Matt liked that Mello still felt comfortable enough to do that. He liked the way he warmed his side.

He was suddenly glad he had chosen one of his adventure games to play, as he figured it would be at least a little more entertaining for Mello than his racing games or something of the like.

Matt concentrated on the game and only after the first cut scene did he look down at the blond. Mello's eyes were shut, but by the way he still nursed his chocolate he was still awake. Matt didn't really mind if he fell asleep against him, he was just happy Mello was relaxing.

He had a feeling that things would speed up again once the three of them completely figured out just where they wanted to go from there.

"Hey Matt..." the blond said after a while. Matt didn't bother to reply as it hadn't truly been a question. Should Mello wish to continue he would whether or not Matt had replied.

"Near and I were talking earlier during our break, we think we should stay here. We need to be in the thick of things... If we go away hen we can't see what the problems are..." he trailed off. Matt had a feeling that would be the end result, because anything less was like giving up.

"And if we can't see what the problems are, we won't know how to fix them..." Mello looked up and was worrying his lip between his teeth.

Matt leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. "I'll be with you guys whatever you decide, you're my friend Mello." Mello gave him a ghost of a smile and nodded as much as he could with them still in contact.

He didn't honestly know why Mello had been... worried? Matt would never abandon him. He suspected not even if Mello told him to...

Mello moved away after that and Matt settled down to play his game for the rest of the night, which incidentally hadn't lasted all that long for him as he'd fallen asleep playing.

.

.

Matt had finished solving the case before breakfast, and incidentally before classes started. He was lucky that he didn't have to deal with Linda attempting to work with him until later as classes took up most of the day. The project would be coming to a close soon so he knew he wouldn't be able to brush her off the next time she asked.

The only good thing would be that since it was during the week the amount of time he had to spend with her would be cut short. It worked out for him that she was slow in solving the case, not that he'd been much better.

All laziness aside, Matt found himself more distracted more than usual during the first few classes. He supposed it had to do with the fact that when he'd woken his laptop had been on, and he hadn't been on it since before dinner.

He didn't care if Mello had used it, but the blonde had his own and it didn't make sense for him to have used Matt's. He squinted his eyes and stifled a yawn. Maybe he hadn't actually turned it off the night before and it had merely been in standby mode until he jerked it.

It was possible...

Matt didn't believe it though. But there was nothing else that fit. He hadn't asked Mello about it because it seemed more like user error more than anything else; something he'd done in his haste to cease working.

He contented himself with playing his gameboy until lunch came. "Mello, did you happen to use my laptop yesterday?" he asked, and from the look he received the answer was no. he hadn't thought so, but it had been nagging at him.

So he'd accidentally left it on after he'd stopped working on the case. Mystery solved. He was an idiot.

Mello seemed to think so at the moment as well. Matt merely shrugged at him and finished his lunch. With nothing else to draw his attention during the afternoon classes Matt found his attention drifting to the other faces that sat with rapt attention of those in the race to become L.

It was laughable really how deluded they all were, simply because they had been force fed the information from the moment they had entered the orphanage. The greatest trick the devil ever played was making everyone believe he didn't exist. Or in this case, that L was exactly as he seemed.

Matt wondered if the outside world was just as deceitful as Wammys had turned out to be; they had all been young, innocent, when they had bee in it, so it was hard to say.

At the end of classes he didn't bother to rush out of the room and simply took his time and waited for Linda to approach him as he'd known she would. "Matt, I solved the case so we can work together now." she chirped happily at him.

He shrugged a shoulder and after a short debate as to where they would do this, Linda wanted him to go to her room and Matt flat out refused, so they compromised with the library. Matt also doubted that Linda had finished it yet. She was probably nearly finished, but not quite.

He sat down at one of the small library table and waited for Linda to meet him there. They had both split off to gather their laptops and whatnot for the project. He lifted his head as a blue laptop was placed on the table. He hadn't known they could have chosen other colors, unless she had taken it upon herself to color it.

He wouldn't be surprised.

"Um.. I guess we should start." she mumbled with a soft smile. Only an hour into it and Matt had to resist the urge to pull up a game of solitaire on his laptop. It was extraordinarily hard to get anything done with Linda acting so weird around him. Honestly what was her issue?

He doubted he would ever understand her. Artists were weird. Or maybe just girls in general.

He sighed happily as the digital numbers told him it was five minutes until dinner. "Linda, we'll finish it tomorrow alright?" her eyes lit up and she nodded happily. He hoped she would go back to her previous form of annoying once the project was through... but he had a feeling she wouldn't.

He shut down the laptop and left the library quickly, though he slowed his pace once far enough away from it. He looked up at the sound of an engine and moved closer to one of the large windows to peer outside. It wasn't often they got visitors or new students..

It was dark outside but not too dark though that he couldn't see the sleek old car that stopped in the middle of the gravel and was shut inside as the large wrought iron gates closed. He noticed Mr. Wammy step to of the drivers side and pass by to the left, the direction of the front doors.

Matt had to wonder why he was back so early and wondered if that meant L was done with his current case. Matt frowned at the thought. He shook his head and got back to his room just as Mello was leaving.

**"**About time Matt. Did you get all of it completed?" Mello asked while he tapped his foot impatiently on the floor as he waited. He shook his head in answer of his question and Mello sighed.

"She was really awkward to work with. We're almost done though. Tomorrow it will be finished so I won't have to deal with her anymore." he noticed Mello roll his eyes but didn't comment on it.

They ate in silence, though it wasn't a bad one, and despite everything, Matt found himself relaxing. Before dinner was even out the both of them had finished and merely sat there, waiting for the others to leave.

Though just a few minutes before it was over Roger strode into the room and walked over to Near, where he said something that must have interested Near as his fingers curled tightly in his hair, but not yet a sign of anxiety.

Mello sneered outwardly, though he could tell the blond was curious. "Mello, Matt, I need the two of you to go to my office. Mr. Wammy would like to speak with you." Roger waited for them to nod and they shared a quick look before following him out of the room.

Mr. Wammy stood looking out the large paneled windows in Roger's office as they entered and the second Near shuffled in, robot clutched in arm, Roger backed out of the room and shut the door.

**"**It is good to see you boys again, and I have some news I believe you will all love." he told them with a smile, but Matt was instantly put on guard.

"L want the three of you to come along and help on a case. It is to help him in determining who will be chosen as successor." he told them.

Mello gasped and Matt could tell that the pure excitement in his expression was faked, while Near merely played with his robot with his seemingly dark gaze flickering upwards every once and a while.

Matt made his expression freeze in indifference though he felt far from it on the inside. Matt could tell there was something wrong, something they weren't getting, as Mr. Wammy had cold eyes that day.

**-End **_**Innocence-**_

**AN: **I've played Zelda before, though i honestly don't know if there was one for the gameboy, if not, there is in my fic. :)

And so yeah, we have more cute moments as well as plot...

You like plot right?

Enough to **review**? XD

**Special thanks to reviewers:** critter141151, Chasing, darkprincesspoet, Sisyphean Effort, RainbowJapan, JJ, schoolkid, Zellicy, Raven-and-Ray, LittleMissAnthrope, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, , Living in a fantasy, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, PrincessPika


	10. Chapter 9: Scream

**Disclaimer: **I dont own Death Note.

**AN: **thank the lovely** Dlvvanzor **for betaing this chapter for me!

**Suggested Listening**: Angry Johnny **by **Poe; Ihmisten edessä **by **Jenni Vartiainen (_**last portion written mostly to this**__. _yes I do know a rough translation of what the song means, and no it has nothing to do with this chapter lol_)_

**Chapter Nine**: _Scream_

They had been given that night to pack their things as they would leave the next day; Mr. Wammy had told them to pack whatever they would need for a while as it wasn't certain how long they would be gone.

And that, in Matt's mind, had set off warning bells. Any case with L generally didn't take that long.

He had told Mello as much and the blond agreed, the only one they couldn't talk to was Near, who would have been an idiot to come to their room that night, especially with Mr. Wammy and possibly L on the prowl.

Everything they couldn't live without they decided to keep on their persons; that way if things turned out badly they could just up and run. There was no guarantee that anything was wrong, just a feeling and too many things connecting for Matt to be at ease.

And paranoia spread easily.

.

.

That morning, Matt watched as Mello paced the length of their room, worry etched into his features. He almost regretted telling his friend the night before. But it wouldn't have been right to keep it from him.

"Matt, what if-"

"Mello, stop. You're making yourself crazy. Thinking of ways for things to go wrong isn't going to stop them from going wrong, should something come up. If it isn't actually to help with choosing his successor then we'll deal with it as we go along." He stared at the blond who seemed trapped in his gaze and, with a sigh, went back to his game.

He doubted he would be able to play much of them on the trip.

He heard the soft mutters begin but reframed from saying anything. If Mello wanted to pray who was Matt to tell him to stop? If it comforted him and made him stop acting crazy then all the better.

A sharp knock on the door made him pause. Mello had looked up from the rosary that was clenched in his fingers; deftly he shoved it back under his shirt and straightened up. Matt watched him stride across the room and wrench open the door with the wildest look of excitement Matt had seen.

He couldn't believe Mello had managed to shove his worry away that quickly.

"Good morning. Are the both of you ready to leave?" Mr. Wammy asked kindly, though there was still something off with him. Mello nodded enthusiastically and ran to get his bags though, as his eyes briefly locked with Matt, the redhead saw his expression waver.

Matt stuffed his game into his pocket and dragged on his jacket before he grabbed his things and waited while Mello fumbled with his own jacket, looking a picture of an overexcited chocoholic.

When he was done, Matt followed the blond out of the room and they both followed Mr. Wammy. Matt ignored the curious stares- or the envious glares- of those who had already found out. If only they knew the entire story they might not be so unhappy with them.

Near inclined his head ever so slightly when he spotted them. So slightly, in fact, that Matt doubted he would have noticed had he not spent the last few days with the boy. "I wish that brat didn't have to come!" Mello snarled harshly as he glared at Near. It was laughable really, how much of an act Mello's aggression towards Near had become.

Matt just hoped that no one else could see through it.

Mr. Wammy ushered them through the doors and Matt couldn't help the feeling that he was walking out those doors for the last time. He wasn't sad per say, more like anxious. Near went around the other side of the car, the left side, to get in as Mello had pulled open the door closet to himself and had gotten inside.

Mr. Wammy gave him a smile and nodded for him to follow while he placed their luggage in the trunk, where it could be locked in. Matt hoped everything was just the product of a paranoia-induced environment and nothing more.

If not, he was glad he had a few of his games on him as he would probably never see that luggage again.

He sat next to Mello and shut the door, keeping it unlocked. As they put their seatbelts on, Mr. Wammy, as he started the car, pressed the lock button and all the doors simultaneously locked.

He and Mello exchanged a glance and he knew Mello was even more anxious than before. It was hard not to be in that situation, though Matt knew that keeping a level head was key. Mr. Wammy left the privacy window down and Matt wished he wouldn't; then they might be able to relax just a bit, and perhaps even plan.

Instead he turned a game on, though his gaze was locked to the world outside the tinted car windows, not that anyone would have been able to tell through his goggles. He watched the trees as they passed by as tall blurred shapes.

He wondered if they would even stay in England. Mr. Wammy hadn't really told them anything other than they would be traveling to L. It was the lack of information that continued to bother him.

He didn't know for how long they had been traveling but the trees had morphed into buildings and the blades of grass into stone walkways and wandering people. And a place for Mr. Wammy to stop and get something at the gas station, something he had forgotten before apparently.

Which incidentally worked in their favor.

"Mr. Wammy, I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." The aging man eyed him for a moment before he smiled and nodded.

"That's fine, just hurry back. You will have lunch as soon as I am finished here. I am afraid it will be a traveling lunch as we do have a schedule to keep." Matt felt just a little wearier at those words.

"Matt, I'm coming, too. Near, stay here, I want a few moments without you there to irritate me," Mello snapped at the younger boy.

"I will not. I have to relieve myself as well," Near stated bluntly. Mello scoffed.

"What eleven-year-old says 'relieve myself'? Damn freak!"

Matt smiled a little as they bickered all the way to the restrooms, as the barbs were more in fun now than anything. What had once been heated was now said in hidden amusement between them.

The second they were inside the three of them fell into silence as Mello quickly checked the stalls and they moved over to the sinks to talk. It was safer to be away from the door where it was easier to be overheard.

"I believe that if we stay with him we will be in a dire situation sooner rather than later," Near told them, his fingers curled around a piece of his hair. He shifted in his standing and Matt had to wonder if his hip was bothering him.

"Definitely," Mello muttered in return. Matt nodded, as words were not necessary. "We should leave now while he's still in there-" they all froze as the door began to open and Matt darted into one of the stalls and quickly closed the door in a quiet manner.

It would look just a bit suspicious for all of them to be standing around the sinks.

"Matt, hurry up! I'm tired of standing with this freak!" Mello growled and Matt knew for certain that it was Mr. Wammy who had come inside. He frowned. The man had to have known they would be up to something, otherwise he would have waited for them to return to the car, L's successors or not.

He flushed the toilet and took the appropriate amount of time before opening the door and walking in his usual casual way to the sinks where he washed his hands. He supposed it was a good idea as simply touching anything in a bathroom lead to unwanted germs.

"Come along boys," Mr. Wammy told them as he led them from the restroom. The mustached old man had a smile on his face, though Matt was certain he'd never seen him smile quite that much before. It was like it was forced, or he was trying to disarm them or something.

He probably was, Matt decided.

"Your lunches are already waiting for you in the car. I also took the liberty of opening your drinks for you." Cup holders were now visible, open soda cans sitting innocently next to prepackaged sandwiches; ones that it appeared had been bought from the store.

Matt knew for certain that something had been done to the drinks, and it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure it out, either. They wouldn't have been opened otherwise. The problem was _what_.

Matt had never been good with identifying poisons and such in class but knew that whatever was in there _probably_ wouldn't kill them. He hoped. Matt stayed silent even as Mello hummed his thanks and Near inclined his head. He even managed to not so much as glance when Mello tore into his sandwich and took a heaping bite.

It wasn't the sandwich that was drugged...

The car started with a small lurch and Near accidently spilled the soda he had just picked up, and Matt didn't fail to notice the slight change of Mr. Wammys expression from the rear-view-mirror.

"Near, you clumsy twit! You got soda on me!" Mello snarled, and only then did Matt make any movements outside of his game he had brought back out. He gently took hold of Mello's thin wrist before he could strike Near, not that Mello actually would have; it was just all part of their not-so-carefully crafted image.

There was no doubt in Matt's mind now, from the _look_ Mr. Wammy had inadvertently given, that _someone_ knew about what they had uncovered. But Mr. Wammy might not know they had figured out they weren't safe, so it was best to keep appearances.

"Near, you can have half of mine. I wouldn't have drunk all of it anyway," he said whilst pretending to take a sip of his soda. Mello stared, open mouthed at him, and then his gaze flipped back and forth between himself and Near.

"What the _hell _Matt? Don't share your drink with _him_ he doesn't deserve it!" the blond hissed and attempted to yank his arm back from Matt's grasp, to no avail. Matt leaned across Mello's lap and handed the soda to Near, who held it carefully.

"Give that back, sheep!" Mello lunged and there was a soft sigh from the front of the car before the privacy window was rolled up to leave them in quiet.

"Mello, don't strangle him!" Matt said loudly and when the window didn't come back down he figured Mr. Wammy wasn't listening, at least not for the moment. He released Mello's wrist and removed himself from his position of being draped over his friend's lap.

"He probably got annoyed with all your yelling," he commented at Mello with a smile. Mello merely smirked and looked pleased with himself, until the situation came back full force and he scowled.

"I think it's a sleeping drug, any other suggestions?" he asked quietly. They were all silent for a moment before seemingly deciding on Matt's theory.

Near began to search, almost silently, through the compartments for what Matt thought was a place to dump the reminder of the sodas. "Near," he called softly. And just in case Mr. Wammy was listening, pointed to the spot on the floor where he had _accidently_ spilled his own soda.

It had already seeped into the mat but there was still a dark spot in plain view.

"If they don't look too closely it will appear to just be yours," he continued in no more than a whisper. Near nodded and slowly emptied the entirety of the can onto the spot and placed it by his own empty one.

Mello made to do the same and when it was almost completely empty Matt stopped him. Mello looked at him questioningly. "You never finish all of your soda. It will look odd if you do so now." The blond's eyes widened fractionally and Matt was given a large smile in return.

"What do we do now? We can't just jump out of the car, even if we wanted to. The damn doors are locked." he hissed dangerously as he set the mostly empty can in his own cup holder.

That was the question of the day, wasn't it?

And yet Matt knew there was really only one option. An option that none of them liked.

"We wait," he muttered. Mello shot him a look of incredulity for a moment, and even Near had looked up, before the blonde's shoulders had slumped in defeat. There was no need to voice anything more. They had no other choice.

They had no idea of knowing how quick the drug was supposed to take before they were expected to be asleep, but Mello had suggested it was probably slow acting as it would end up keeping them asleep longer as well as not alarm them during the process.

He was probably correct.

Near was the first to pretend, slumping against the door, robot dangling from his grip, as his immune system was weak and the drugs would have affected him first; or so the albino had said.

A while later Mello had curled up against the redheads side with his eyes closed. Matt had stayed watchful for a short amount of time later before leaning into Mello in such a way that he was being propped up by him.

Matt hoped the three of them could pull off being drugged.

Mello's soft breaths, though Matt knew he had not actually fallen asleep, were enough to relax him. At least until the privacy window was rolled down again. It wasn't a loud sound by any means. But in the absolute silence of the car it was like nails on a chalkboard.

There was a long moment of utter silence before a very faint dialing sound. "The three of them are asleep. I will be arriving _there_ soon." There was no more to the conversation, if it could have even be called that, before the telltale snap suggested the phone had been shut.

Mello felt stiff against him, tense, and he could feel the blond's pulse speed up. Matt knew his own probably wasn't much better.

He couldn't accurately tell the passage of time, had no way of knowing how long they'd been in there prior to their first stop, so when the car was finally pulled to a stop it felt as though they had been traveling for days.

Near's door was opened first and the albino was instantly scooped up into Mr. Wammy's arms and taken somewhere. He felt Mello flinch against him as the door was slammed shut and they could hear the footsteps as they circled the car and stopped at Matt's door.

Matt made sure he was limp in Mr. Wammy's arms as he was pulled from the car, Mello crumpling to the seat without his body to keep him in place. It must have looked natural as Mr. Wammy didn't spend another second there and instead continued on.

With his goggles Matt was able to keep his eyes open a small bit to watch the surroundings. They were in an area with what looked like mostly run-down or out of business places. His heart sank. Just what in the world was planned for them?

He was carried up a set of stairs and brought into a room and placed harshly on the dirty floor beside Near. Well more like dropped, but he didn't cry out despite his shoulder smarting something awful.

When the footsteps retreated he opened his eyes to see Near gazing at him with something akin to pain in his eyes. He must have hit his hip on the floor. They stayed quiet though and quickly shut their eyes the moment the footsteps returned and Mello was dropped to the floor.

There was the soft sound of something being popped open and suddenly Matt felt the sensation of something being poured on him, though whatever it was his jacket did a good job of keeping it from seeping through.

It was odorless and his brain couldn't supply an answer as to what it was.

Matt knew that it was probably being dumped over Mello and Near as well, and despite the nagging thought in the corner of his mind telling him he should _know_ what this was, he just couldn't grasp it.

Soft splashing sounds, of the liquid hitting the wood floor they were on Matt supposed, and then the footsteps retreated again, after they had paused by the doorway and a soft click echoed throughout the room. He listened as the sounds made their way down to the ground floor and after a short while the car roared quietly to life and drove off... or at least he assumed drove off as the engine sound had gotten quieter, but not that of having been turned off.

He immediately opened his eyes and sat up to Mello attempting to wipe something off his face and neck with an irritated sigh; probably whatever had been poured all over them. Near simply sat there, his shirt and pants battered with the liquid.

That was when the odd smell of smoke hit him. He stood up and went to the only window in the room, and at first he couldn't see anything, but then the faint, flickering orange glow and trail of liquid splotches down the steps had him inhale sharply.

"The building is on fire," he managed to croak out.

"What?" Mello shouted, and he came running to the window, nearly shoving Matt out of the way. Matt couldn't blame him, he was shocked too. Though he wasn't sure why, really.

Matt looked back to Near only to find him gone; he turned fully around and found the albino at the door attempting to open it to no avail. They had been locked in. Left to burn.

"Move, Near," Matt told the younger boy, who complied with a noticeable limp. The door was indeed locked, as Matt tried it, but it was an old door with an even older lock. Or maybe they weren't old so much as just very worn.

He braced a foot on the door and tugged. He heard the creaking but it wasn't enough, he didn't have enough strength-

Mello wrapped his arms around him and Matt knew that somehow, it would be enough. He tried again, on the count of an unspoken _one, two, three_, and time seemed to slow for an incredibly long amount of time, and just as Matt was certain they'd have to find another way and turned the handle to let go, it gave way and he and Mello were flung backwards.

He crashed hard into Mello, though he was sure it was worse for the blond who had taken the brunt of the fall, and watched as the doorknob clattered in the other direction and the door _moved_. They had busted the lock in the process.

Near pulled the door open and a soft veil of smoke greeted them. Matt scrambled to his feet and rushed into the hallway to find the stairs. The stairs were filled with the smoke, though it held an even more acrid smell to it that he'd thought.

He turned to look at Mello and Near and knew, just like he should have, that what was on their clothes had to be some sort of accelerant for the flames. They had been meant to burn to death, become charred corpses, and left unidentifiable by any means.

They already didn't have records, as L's heirs couldn't _exist_, but L obviously didn't want the police to look too heavily into children's deaths either. Though why they didn't just kill them and bury them at Wammy's...

Well perhaps for the same reason. If their bodies had been discovered on the grounds, perhaps not even L's influence would have been enough to keep away the trouble or rumors.

They looked at each other for an instant before they were tugging at their clothing, feeling at the pieces that were affected. Matt tossed his jacket into the corner, it being the only thing on him soaked. The fabric of it had been resilient enough to keep it from seeping through to the shirt underneath. Near had put on no sort of jacket beforehand, having not owned one, and so his shirt was removed though he _refused_ to take of his pants which held splotches of the liquid on it. Matt wasn't about to argue.

Mello had gotten rid of his sweatshirt, with a soft grin that suggested he was satisfied he was alright with the clothing underneath. Matt could just see Near's expression change to something indignant, probably at the fact he was the only one of them shirtless. That's what he got for not wearing a jacket...

Matt's goggle-covered eyes scanned the room, as well as picturing the height of the window from the ground and mentally calculating the distance. They couldn't jump from the second floor, as it was too high up, and there was no fire escape to use by the window. Their only hope was the stairs- it was either jump to their possible deaths, sit and wait to burn, or try to escape. And as Matt looked at them, he knew they also understood the options.

It was the last one by unspoken agreement.

He heard Mello muttering softly and touching the spot he knew the rosary to be hidden under. He took the blond's free hand as he gently pushed Near towards the door. If they didn't hurry they wouldn't be able to go even if they wanted to.

He let go of Mello as he ushered them down the smoke-filled stairs- the only problem, the bottom few steps had already caught fire. His heart was pounding in his chest, his throat burning with the effort of just breathing, but still he searched hopelessly through the white.

There was the glow of orange almost everywhere.

Almost everywhere.

Off to right side, for whatever reason, perhaps the flames not having reached some sort of metal obstruction or something partially resistant to flame, was clear of orange. Matt hoped it meant there was no fire.

"Jump to the right, there's no fire!" and he hoped he wasn't telling them a lie. But still they stood still. And the flames crept higher. "Jump!" he hissed as the next step was engulfed.

Matt could make out Near's form as he hesitated, at least until Mello gave him a small push. There was a pained yelp, and Matt supposed Near had landed badly. "It's clear. Matt was correct," the albino shouted over the near-deafening roar of fire.

Near began to cough violently and Matt hoped the albino would be alright. "Go," he muttered to Mello. And Mello jumped. Matt jumped hardly a second after him. He lingered in the air for what seemed too long before his knee connected harshly with the floor and his teeth went through his lip.

He didn't have time to worry over it as the most agonized scream stilled his heart and left him gasping for breath. He watched for half a second, the brightness of the flames giving more light and heat then he was comfortable with, as Mello caught fire.

He had rolled too much after his landing and gone straight into the flames. The lingering accelerant on his face and clothes caught fire immediately. He shrieked, louder if possible, and Matt hardly recognized the pain in his knee as he was by Mello's side in an instant and dragging him from the flames that sent shivers of heat down his spine and left him sweating.

He patted at Mello to quell the flames. The ones on his face were the last to go out, but Matt was simply glad they had. He coughed, chest clenching in agony, and knew they had been in there for too long.

The flames crept along what Matt found to be stone underneath them in a line that lead towards them. The entire place would be engulfed soon. Bits of the ceiling had already flaked off and thick smoke choked the air around them.

He pulled Mello up, and despite the heavy way Mello leaned on him, the blond walked with him. He brushed against Near by accident and tugged the boy along with him, and though he couldn't see much, he followed the path away from the stairs that was free of fire.

He hoped that the stone was some sort of decorative slate placed near the door and that he wasn't leading them into a corner. He heard the screams of fire engines and the loud wail of an ambulance that he wished they didn't need.

Near grabbed onto his arm and Matt was free to search for a door. His hand jerked back as his fingers brushed against heated metal, but after probing it a bit further it was a handle. He didn't think of any possible consequences to his actions and yanked it open.

The light outside was blinding and he pushed Near foreword as Mello's legs buckled almost sending himself and the blond to the floor as he lost consciousness. He took a moment to steady himself under Mello's complete weight.

He took a tentative step down the first step, eager to reach Near who was at the third out of six. Matt tripped as Mello's weight forced him foreword too quickly.

"Matt please hurry-" Near was cut off as fire exploded around them, windows bursting from the pressure and Matt couldn't help but be thankful that Mello had dragged them down and away from the flames even as they tumbled down the steps to land in a pile on the concrete below.

He couldn't breathe correctly. He took gasping breaths as he sat up. Things were a sudden blur as shapes surrounded him- firemen, his foggy brain supplied for him. Mello was being pulled in a different direction and he fought to keep from being separated.

He was disorientated. Voices and sounds faded in and out, the only constant being the dull roar of the fire. He fingered the goggles on his face and found them to be completely cracked, the lenses barely hanging in place.

He had broken them.

It explained why he couldn't see.

In his fight to stay with Mello his eyes locked on another firefighter, the image becoming clearer the closer he got. In his arms was Near, his pale skin covered in soot and his pants no better. The only visible side of his face was bloody and covered in cuts and Matt felt sick and worried and completely overwhelmed.

He was suddenly, gently, tugged in the same direction as the unconscious blond; the emergency workers finally realizing he would not be pried from his friend's side. He lost sight of Near as he and the fireman carrying him became a blur again.

He was lifted up into what he assumed was the ambulance and a mask was forced over his mouth and he could breathe again. He took gulps of the fresh air and didn't pay any attention to the questions he was being bombarded with over the shouting of Mello's vitals.

He wouldn't have been able to answer, either.

He couldn't get his mind to stop spinning long enough to form any thoughts other than 'please let them live, please let them live.'

If he could. Matt would have screamed.

**-End**_** Scream**_**-**

**AN**: So now you know why it was called scream. Awesome cliffhanger right? Right? Somewhat similar to Choices though i think it is vastly different in way. Heheheh as will be the end result. Muwhahaha.

Those who've read Choices know what I am capable of doing to my characters... they are probably freaking out now. :)

**P.s:** Don't forget it's the 100th '_**signed**_' review that wins. There are still around 13 more reviews before that happens XD

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, schoolkid, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, critter141151, Chasing, APlaceForus, JJ, Living in a fantasy, RainbowJapan

Review please?


	11. Interlude: Part One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note.

**AN**: I bet you all hate me right? Good... So now, part one of two interludes. Both are intended to be short before a time skip. Enjoy.

Also, according to me and DiabolicaJeeva's calculations, Living in a fantasy was the 100th signed review. XD. I have already told her as I spammed her with unreleased fics earlier.

**Suggested Listening**: Better Place **by **Puddle of Mud

**Interlude:** _Part One_

He wasn't supposed to be there. He wasn't even supposed to be out of his own bed. But Matt wasn't worried about the potential consequences of his current actions. Not in the least.

He was, however, very worried about the body that lay bandaged in the hospital bed.

It was unusual for him to get emotional over anything anymore, at least not to the rate where he'd had to be sedated... Matt almost felt a little ashamed of himself. Almost. Mello was his friend... his best friend. He was allowed to worry.

The blond's eyes were shut and his breathing was shallow, but he was alive. And that was all that Matt had needed to know. It was so damn hard to get any kind of information on Mello or Near from those damn doctors.

They didn't seem to think someone as young as himself could handle the truth, and he had even heard the whispers about a psychiatrist coming to speak with him as he was the only one awake, and he knew that when Mello and Near woke they would be subjected to much of the same.

Or would have been had Matt not been planning on busting them all out the second he was assured they would all live. He knew Mello's burns were serious, and he knew they needed a certain amount of specialized care, but the longer they stayed put, the quicker L would catch them and make sure they were silenced for good.

And Matt refused to let that happen on his watch. He had gotten them into this mess and he would make sure they came out of it alive. No matter what he had to do.

His fists were clenched by his sides and his face set in rage. He took a deep breath, coughing a little, and calmed himself. His emotions had completely gone haywire. He wasn't meant to be the leader... he... wasn't made to handle a situation like that on his own.

Sure, everything had been fine before. But everything hadn't sunk in yet.

Of course it hadn't, he berated himself.

They hadn't almost _died _before.

Hell, he still didn't know much about Near's condition other than he was alive. That was it. They wouldn't let Matt see him, or Mello, and they said that it was best he concentrate on his own recovery and not to worry.

What the hell kind of crap advice was that?

Not knowing had unhinged a part of himself. His nerves were frayed and he was sure he was going to murder someone if they suggested one more time that it was in his _best interest_ to stay away.

Besides, he was sure he was the least injured out of the three of them. Some smoke inhalation problems, which he was sure Mello and Near also had; cuts and scraps, the same as Mello and probably Near, and an injured knee.

Though the latter wasn't serious. He had ended up dislocating his knee... and would have to wear a brace for a while. But it was nothing. Not compared to Mello's burns.

They covered the left side of his face, parts of his neck and shoulder, went down his back and even touched parts of his hip and lower. The worst ones were where the accelerant, which hadn't been determined, had been on him.

His face, neck and shoulder.

They would all definitely scar.

Matt didn't want to see what Mello's reaction would be to seeing the bandages that covered himself... or his hair. Which had practically been shaved on the left side when they had treated his wounds.

But he was alive...

They had already been there for a day. And that was too long. He would need access to a computer so that he could hack some money to get them out of there. L probably had the news being watched for any signs that their bodies had been discovered.

The only thing Matt had managed, was to convince them that someone was after them, that the fire had been set, and that they couldn't publish that they had lived or at least hold off for a few days. So far, from what he'd seen in paper he'd snatched from the nurses station, was that news about the fire had been published but nothing more.

He'd probably been so frantic and wild looking at the time that they'd believed him. He knew it was a good thing. The only reason he assumed the police hadn't talked to him would be that they were waiting for the others to wake up…

He rubbed at his eyes tiredly and wondered if they'd ever be safe. Even if L didn't know they were alive yet, he probably would soon. There were just too many variables. And Matt hated it.

Mello wheezed a little and dislodged a piece of hair so that it fell in is eyes. Eyes twitched and moved every time the hair brushed against the lids. And while he would have loved for Mello to wake up, to be _sure_ he was alright, he knew Mello would be in so much pain...

He brushed back the strand of hair, tucking it behind an ear, and smiled sadly at him.

Matt only knew one thing for certain. No matter what happened, and where they went from here, everything would be alright as long as they stuck together.

**-End Part One- **

**AN: **So how was that? Ready for the next part? It will be out sooner than you think. :)

**Special thanks to reviewers**: critter141151, Living in a fantasy, Chasing, 9shadowcat9, JJ, iluvbleach10, schoolkid, chiakaiyuki, flamablechoklit, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, FionaSkellington, Zellicy, Miname Shiranai, Slayers64, Beyond'sWaraNingyo

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	12. Interlude: Part Two

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note.

**AN**: nothing much to say... other thank a thank you to my reviewers XD Best response I've gotten in a while *is that a hint I should chop my chapters up? :(*

**Suggested Listening**: Misery Loves Its Company **by** The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

**Interlude:** _Part Two _

Matt had indeed been discovered in Mello's room, and had gotten into a whole bunch of trouble. He didn't particularly care. Though, at the very least, he had been told he could visit again so long as he took the proper precautions because of the burns.

Matt knew that it wouldn't matter all that much in the long run as Mello would be in much more danger from what he was planning.

He had managed to get his hands on a laptop for a little while, as he had pulled the injured child card which had sadly worked too effectively, and had stolen himself some money and used it to buy six plane tickets.

Two going to Berlin, three to France and one headed for New Zealand.

The three of them were going to none of those places. While Matt would love to just jump on a plane, there was no way airport security would let them by, not when at least one of them looked like the walking dead.

The first thing he had done with the procured laptop had been to hack the hospital's database and find out Near's condition, as well as Mello's. He had been shocked to find out what had happened to the albino.

Near had been on the stairs when the fire had caused the windows to shatter from the pressure and had been bombarded with glass shards. Matt had missed it because Mello's dead weight had sent them tumbling down the steps.

Near had gotten pretty cut up, the blood that Matt had seen in his daze, but the cuts would heal. His left eye however... would not. Shards of glass had been embedded so deep into the eye itself that it had to be removed.

Mello was seriously burned and Near was missing an eye; Matt counted himself lucky with his small amount of injuries.

But it made escaping a problem as conventional means were generally out.

That didn't mean that he hadn't found a way out. He had, but Mello would never know of it, Near either, if he could help it, as the end result would end in Matt having to kill someone if things went as planned.

The need for complete secrecy was a must, and the person he'd 'hired' would easily sell them out for more money; which was why Matt had known he would get them out of there.

Being a hacker, even at his young age, had gotten him some friends in the business.

The idiot had attempted to hack into something he shouldn't have and had caught Matt's attention. In return for keeping silent he'd gotten a favor from the man that he hadn't used, until about three hours ago when he'd contacted the man.

Matt had told the man he needed him to drive three children, after picking them up from the hospital, out of England. That was as far as Matt had gotten plan wise. He hoped Mello would be awake by then, because Matt knew he needed help.

He had also set up a bank account, which he was siphoning money into, for them to use. Things would be difficult for a while, and he needed a lot of money quickly. It needed to last them a while as he was sure L would find out they were alive, and when he did he would be on the alert for hackers, assuming Matt was still doing so. He didn't want to get caught because they needed money. Better to do it while still at the hospital, and hopefully when L followed the trail to them, they wouldn't be there any more.

If things went well that is.

A soft groan caught his attention making him glance over to his left. Mello's eyes fluttered softly a few times before going still. He sighed, and only when he went to stare at the wall again did they open. Blue eyes were unfocused and lazy in their wandering.

They must have kept him on the good stuff, though Mello would have to do without it while on the road... they would have to do without a lot of things while on the road. Because they wouldn't really be on the run until they had gotten out of here, out of England.

If they could make it that far, then they had a chance.

Matt's heart rate increased as Mello's eyes locked onto him. "Mat..t...?" the blond's voice was nothing more than a chipped whisper, gravelly in sound and painful to listen to.

He was by Mello's side in an instant. "Hey Mello." he said softly. He didn't want the nurses and doctors to rush in there just yet.

"I'm getting us out of here soon. Ok?" he knew Mello probably had more pressing things he wanted to know, even through the fog of his meds, but there would be time for that later.

Mello gave him a weak, slightly pained, smile and though his eyes said he wanted to stay awake, they slipped shut not too long after. He was utterly exhausted. Matt let go of the hand he'd unconsciously grabbed and sank back into the chair.

He hated seeing Mello so weak. So injured. He hated L for doing this.

He stared at the blond for a short while longer before he just couldn't stand to look at him anymore and had to leave the room. He needed air. He really _needed_ air.

He practically ran out the doors of the hospital, despite the sharp pains his knee threw at him. He took deep breaths and wished things hadn't fallen so far so quickly. He never should have told them... he never should have even looked into it, if he hadn't then Mello wouldn't be-

"Here, you look like you could use one." a voice off to his right called, a hand outstretched. He eyed the object for a moment before taking it. He knew what it was, and doubted it would be helpful, and would probably aggravate his already abused lungs...knew what those things could do to a person...

And yet he still took a slow drag, careful not to choke on it. The taste was bitter and almost nasty, but as the drug hit his system he felt his frazzled nerves slowly calming and the coiled tension unwinding.

He exhaled deeply and turned to meet the old man's surprised stare. "Not bad." the man told him with a smile. He had obviously only given him one to see him choke on it. His loss.

Matt knew, with certainty, that he would need a lot more of those to get through the next few days. The next few months... and however long afterwards as Mello and Near recovered. He knew, as he took his second drag, that should he continue it would probably become an addiction strong enough to rival that of his games.

But, Matt supposed, there were far worse things to get addicted to. And he needed something to get him through until Mello was able to take charge, because Matt was out of his league, at least for now, and he knew it.

_**-End part 2-**_

**AN**: So i'm sure you all know what Matt has taken a liking too... next chapter... TIME SKIP. Yay? about five years, but not quite. You know I never like to give you ALL the details at once… I'm evil like that.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: RainbowJapan, Chasing, foreverunloved, Sisyphean Effort, JJ, chiakaiyuki, critter141151, Zellicy, slayers64, iluvbleach10, schoolkid, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Living in a fantasy, Beyond'sWaraNingyo

Review?


	13. Chapter 10: Flurry

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note.

**AN**: Can we keep up the awesome reviews? XD

**Suggested Listening**: Dance Floor Anthem (I don't want to be in love) **by** Good Charlotte

**Chapter Ten**: _Flurry _

There was a soft yawn in the mostly dark room and the only occupant, who sat in front of the brightly lit screen, stretched his sore muscles. He had been there for almost forty-eight hours, even Near had gone to sleep a while ago, no longer having the will to wait.

Matt however, wasn't about to go to sleep until Mello had gotten back.

What he was doing, at the moment, wasn't necessarily dangerous, however being a Mafiya boss was dangerous work on a good day, so it wasn't really saying much.

After escaping England in mostly one piece they had taken to hiding around the states for a while before jutting off to Russia and into the arms of the Russian mob.

Matt smirked, as he lit another cigarette, as he could still remember the men's faces the first time skinny little fourteen year old Mello had given them their first orders after he'd claimed his rightful place as boss.

Most of them had been of incredulity and disbelief that someone so young and frail looking was trying to run the mob. It had only taken one wisecrack about his hair, which hadn't had much time to grow out after being shaved on one side, for Mello to get pissed off and wave around the gun Near had bought him.

That and for the blond to shoot the idiot, who had laughed, in the leg. Their expressions had turned to horror after Mello admitted he had missed where he'd actually been aiming at. Ah, Matt thought, what good days those had been.

Until Mello had started retreating into himself, and hiding things from him and Near. Matt knew what they were about; the things the blond was forced to do as a Mafiya leader. He and Near could honestly care less what Mello had to do, and they weren't naive enough not to have some idea, so long as they were in the loop.

But it seemed that the blond had gotten it into his head they had needed to be protected from all the horrors, as though Mello himself was that much older and that much more equipped at handling the situation by himself.

Since then, Mello had kept him and Near as far away from Mafiya life as possible without outright deserting them. And five years was a long time.

Matt knew Mello had killed people, who could lead the Mafiya without doing such? He wished the blond had felt like he could trust them more to lean on them for comfort as Matt knew how much it could weigh on the mind... the first kill that was. You would always remember, no matter how much time has passed...

He never wanted Mello to know what he'd done to get them to the states, but he sort of wised he'd told him, maybe then Mello would have let him share the burden so that the blond wasn't on his own.

Matt rubbed at his face with a gloved hand and yawned again. He popped another pill and took a swig of his drink.

Caffeine pills and energy drinks were practically all he lived off of these days. That and cigarettes. Mello only knew about the latter. But what Mello didn't know wouldn't get Matt in trouble.

Not that Matt would have stopped at any rate. Matt listened to Mello on the important things, for the most part, and did what he wanted when the blond was away. Which was a lot of the time. Both he and Near had taken it upon themselves to watch Mello's back as much as they could without being caught by said blond.

With Mello's genius the Mafiya had been vastly improved upon in even ways they hadn't thought possible. Mello had even given their online network and systems a facelift, though he had not allowed Matt to help as it had been considered 'Mafiya work'.

That was where he and Near came into the picture.

Matt had subtly been upgrading the system over the years as well as fending off hackers and the like from getting any information from them. Mello's system was good, better than anything mainstream, but it was far from perfect as Mello was not as good at computers as he was.

And Matt had gotten good. Very good. He could hardly say he was the best in the world, but he no longer feared L finding them if he hacked into things. He could cover his tracts now in ways he had only dreamt of before. And he had slowly been teaching Near to do much of the same.

They generally took shifts watching the system and doing extras as 'hired hackers' the Mafiya employed. Mello never knew it was them. And Matt wanted to keep it that way. At least until the day where they could get past that hardened exterior the nearly eighteen year old had placed around himself.

Mello had been a handful five years ago, and was worse now. He was all guns and leather and chocolate and anger. Though there were times where his expression slipped into something akin to haunted.

Usually when L's name had been mentioned.

They were still hiding from L and there were reports that he had found two new potential heirs, no news on a number three. Mello still got a dark look anytime the man was mentioned, and Matt understood. They had all been changed because of Wammys.

They had survived of course, Mello having scars from the fire, and Near loosing one eye from his injuries. Matt supposed he was the only one Wammys hadn't left a mark on, as his leg had healed, though it did ache when the weather got too cold. At least not a physical one.

He had, in those years, taken up smoking. So perhaps that was, in his own way, a physical mark left by Wammys. Or perhaps it was more of an emotional one...

He often wondered what would have happened had their families not been killed, and the three of them hadn't met, or if he hadn't uncovered the crazy kidnapping plot, or if they hadn't gotten away.

But he knew that those thoughts were stupid as none of those _what if's_ mattered. He wouldn't have met Mello if not for that horrible plot, and Mello really was the person that meant the most to him.

Matt knew that he loved the blond, had known it for a good two years. But he knew that it wasn't the right time to tell him; though he did wonder if there would ever be a good time. As in a time where Mello wouldn't disregard his feelings as puppy love, hero worship, brotherly love or simply push him away because of his need to protect him.

What he felt for Mello... It was an aching pain. It was longing. It hurt so very deeply to be so close to the one he loved and yet not being able to be 'with' him. But Matt knew that he would lose even that should he tell Mello at the moment.

He took a long drag of the cigarette and let his tired eyes scan the lines of code on the screen. A soft shuffling came from the direction of one of the bedroom but he didn't have to turn around to know it was Near.

"Have you slept at all?" the albino asked as he sat in his awkward way, adjusting it slightly to accommodate for the elevation of the couch. His hip still bothered him sometimes, a lot of the time, and Matt doubted that the albino would ever be free of that pain.

"You know I haven't." he knows Near knows this, and yet every time Mello was gone he asked. Matt had a feeling that Near suspected something about his feelings for the blond, as the little albino was quite perceptive despite his own emotional shortcomings.

He smiled fondly for a second. The two of them had become close friends in the last few years. And though Near was quiet, he was good company. To Matt though, it was a different sort of quiet, one that had only emerged after the loss of his right eye. And though Near didn't really let it affect him much in the way of doing his normal tasks, Matt knew he was still bothered by the loss of it. The way his fingers lingered around the eye patch sometimes attested to it.

It was an unspoken thing between them never to mention it unless Near brought it up. Matt wasn't bothered by it in the least though. There were things he'd rather not talk about either. Like why he'd picked up smoking. Or how he could hold his liquor.

Or why Mello sometimes smelt of cheap perfume...

He let out a small sigh and felt Near's gaze on him. Matt doubted that Mello was a virgin, not with his looks and position of power. Hell, Matt himself wasn't one. He had lost it a few years ago, though he couldn't remember much of the experience as it had been a drunken expedition in a night club bathroom. He made sure that neither Near nor Mello knew about it. Him going to the night club that is, he couldn't care less if Near or Mello knew he had had sex with some random stranger.

Well he might care what Mello thought on it... but he would never ask.

He was beginning to think that there were a vast many thing that he would never ask.

That was when the lock on the door front door turned as well as the sounds of an alarm being disarmed. Mello was a paranoid fucker after all. Not that it wasn't warranted with their current situation. Mello being a Mafiya leader and the three of them hiding from L.

Matt knew something was off though, the second the blond stumbled into the main room. The off part being that he had stumbled. His eyes zeroed in on the large bleeding gash on the blond's collar bone.

Whatever it was, had been sharp enough to completely rip through the leather vest. And though Matt wanted to go over to Mello and demand to know just what the hell had happened this time, he stayed put and let Near take the initiative as he usually did in those circumstances.

It was the only time Mello allowed their help in any way shape or form really.

When he was injured, that is. Matt figured it was more that Mello knew he wouldn't win an argument in those types of situations so didn't even bother to put up a fight over it.

Matt hated when Mello came back hurt. He always felt so useless. Near was always the one to treat him as he was better at it. Sure, Matt had quick hands, but they shook; though it could have been from all the stuff running through his system all the time nowadays.

But Near's hands never shook, which was why he was able to stack cards and make intricate designs with his toys that Matt could only dream of. Matt didn't care who treated Mello so long as it was done by one of them.

Or in the worse case scenario, one of the Mafiya doctors. Matt didn't really trust them too much though. Then again, he didn't trust Mello with anyone other than Near and himself...

From the needle and thread Near had taken out he could only assume that it would end up scarring. It always did if Near had to sew him up. Not because of anything Near did; it just meant it was deep. Matt mentally upped the number of scars Mello had to twenty, not counting his burns.

He could remember every time Mello had gotten injured badly enough that had required stitches. And he knew which ones of them had scared, some of them being so tiny they were almost invisible if you didn't know where to look.

But Matt would never forget.

He felt a yawn forming but stifled it as Mello glanced in his direction. The blond had probably known he was being looked at despite the fact that the goggles obstructed Matt's eyes from view; though only because he and Near seemed to know him too well.

Well enough to worry over him from time to time.

Matt tried not to wince as those blue eyes narrowed at the overflowing trash bin full of cans. His empty energy drinks. Or the way Mello frowned over the overstuffed ashtray he had forgotten to empty. Oh well. Either Mello would say something, which he probably would after he'd gotten some sleep, or he would simply frown at him every time he noticed either of the items.

Matt hoped it was the latter.

Though it would be his own fault if it were the first. He had known Mello was due home at any time, as he was over his given time, and still hadn't paused the hack to get rid of the evidence. The evidence of him having been at the computer for far longer than he should have been.

It couldn't be helped at that point, so Matt simply lit another cigarette and returned his gaze and attention to the hack. Mello would be fine in Near's care. He heard the sharp intake of breath, the low hiss, and knew that Near had started to sew Mello back together.

And though Mello was alright now, he couldn't help but wonder just what in the hell kind of trouble the blond had gotten into that time. It was only supposed to have been a meeting between Mello and some high up person who wanted to make a few deals with his Mafiya.

From the looks of it, Matt doubted there would be any future dealings with that person, if they were even still alive. It would serve them right if they weren't. Matt didn't really like violence outside of his games, mainly because he saw the after effects of it far too often on Mello, but there were some instances where Matt didn't mind it.

He knew he was simply biased because he was in love with the blond.

Whatever.

Matt supposed it didn't really matter one way or another.

"Matt..." he looked up at the sound of Mello's voice. It was tired, weary even, and laced with pain. He merely cocked his had to the side in question, though he knew it drove Mello up the wall when he didn't actually answer. Call it revenge for him getting injured. Mello frowned, ever so slightly, and Matt felt his lips twitch into a smirk.

"Put that fucking thing out and clean up that damn mess before we get roaches." Mello was staring at him with narrowed eyes but he could tell the blond wasn't really all that pissed off. Or at least not at him. Not yet.

Matt gave it until noon the next day before all the information actually sank into the blond's head. Then Matt would probably be in trouble. He shrugged a shoulder and practically sucked on the stick in his mouth; one last drag before he stubbed it out.

He was actually surprised he had been able to put it out with the other butts overflowing in the dish. And from the look Mello gave him, he was too. He would definitely hear about it in the morning.

On the upside, it meant that he would get to spend time with Mello. Even if it was only him getting yelled at. It was sad, and he knew it, but with Mello gone away on business all the time he would take what he could get.

He knew that Near felt the same in that aspect. They both missed their friend.

"In a minute." he answered finally, fingers moving quickly moving across the keyboard. Mello snorted.

"You say that but you will simply continue on with whatever damn game you are playing." Matt was confused at Mello's words for a second before he remembered Mello didn't know about his and Near's extra activities, well beyond what they had already done at any rate, and smirked.

Mello would _kill _them if he found out. Or at the very least maim them. And probably take every piece of technical equipment out of the apartment. He and Near worked hard to keep it at an 'if'.

He shrugged a shoulder and listened to Mello sigh heavily. He entered the last few lines of code, burned the fucker who had attempted to get into the Mafiya's network, and stole all their info before he erased everything they had on their computer.

Not bad considering he was tired as hell. He had gone longer than this without any sleep, but he had done this more than a few weeks in a row and it was finally catching up with him. He was getting burned out, if such a simple task took him the entire night, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he crashed.

He didn't want to see Mello's face on the day they couldn't wake him, as he would sleep until his body recovered if he did crash.

It would not end pleasantly.

"Matt-"

He sighed softly and stretched again before he shoved the chair out behind himself and took hold of the overstuffed ashtray and trash bin. He had already exited all of his programs, and not even Mello would be able to track his history, so he wasn't worried about the blond finding anything should he look at the screen or search his files while he was away.

Not that it appeared Near would have let him go at the moment. The albino had been uncapping the preventative crème, the nice expensive kind that kept things frOm getting infected, when he'd walked past.

Once Near was finished with that he would probably slap a quick bandage over the wound and send the blond off to bed whether he wanted it or not. Near, even without saying a word, could be forceful when he wanted to.

Matt just wished they didn't _have_ to be forceful with Mello. But with years as a Mafiya leader under his belt, filled with a bucket full of horrors, as well as his normal resistance, made it impossible to be any other way with him as Mello simply would not concede to things otherwise.

He really wished things could go back to the simpler times, when Mello would be content to lean against him when he was feeling down, or play games with him and Near. If only things could have stayed like that.

But Matt knew it was stupid to wish for the impossible.

He emptied the garbage and rinsed the ashtray in the sink, as it had gotten rather disgusting looking with all the ash marks, as he got a new liner for the bin.

Matt was back in the main room just as Near finished with the blond and set about putting away the medical supplies. Near's blank eye locked with his briefly and Matt knew that Mello's wound wasn't too serious.

He had gotten very good at reading Near. With nothing else to do, and no where to go, they really had had only each other for company while Mello was busy.

Mello opened his mouth, as if to say something, the moment he saw him, but just as quickly shut it and turned for his room instead. "Nite Mello." he said softly, though by the way Mello hesitated he had heard him.

Matt supposed that it was something, that he had even gotten a reaction. He sighed at the slightly hollow feeling in his chest and really wished sometimes that he wasn't in love.

He lit another cigarette and waved to Near as he shut his laptop down.

Mello was home, and relatively safe, so now he could sleep.

Perhaps.

**-End **_**Flurry**_**-**

**AN:** Wow.. this chapter was longer than intended and ender on a rather emo note. Again not intended. Oh well.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: iluvbleach10, Living in a fantasy, chiakaiyuki, Slayers64, schoolkid, critter141151, Chasing, JJ, Miname Shiranai, Diamone, foreverunloved, RainbowJapan, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Beyond'sWaraNingyo , BehindHappyFaces

Review please?


	14. Chapter 11: Bleed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note.

**Suggested Listening**: Out! **by** Lunatica

**Chapter Eleven:** _Bleed _

Matt woke slowly, groggily, around nine hours later. He ever slept that long and it left him feeling sluggish and tired. Far more tired than he had a right to be after such a long sleep. He lay flat on his back and stretched for a moment before he curled onto his side and closed his eyes again.

He breathed in deeply after a long moment and sighed. He was still so damn tired... but knew that sleep would not return to him. Just as well, he supposed. He had things to do after all. He always had things to do, for the most part. It was generally best to get them done while he wasn't worrying too.

At least he believed there was nothing to worry about as Mello should still be home. He yawned and sat up, rubbed at his goggle-less eyes and groped blindly for the orange tinted lenses that were somewhere on the nightstand.

Finding them, he slipped them over his eyes and the pain that had begun to pool behind his eyes receded as everything came into focus and the ever present blur was left behind. Damn he hated his eyes. His eyesight had always been bad, but it seemed to get worse the older he got. He had already had to change his prescription twice in the last five years.

Knowing his luck he would be blind by thirty at this rate. Damn disease…

Assuming L didn't have them killed before then, or something Mafiya related happened to cause the same end result.

Matt stood up from the bed and wandered over to his dresser, where upon inspection, he realized that he had no clean clothes. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. It was time to do laundry.

He supposed he really should have seen it coming, as he hadn't done any in a while, not in recent memory at the very least. He would have to see if Near needed anything done while he was at it. He would have just done Mello's stuff, but most of it was dry clean only.

Matt and Near ended up doing most of the housework around there, as Mello wasn't home long enough or couldn't be bothered, and he couldn't help but feel like a housewife or hired servant sometimes.

They cooked, cleaned and did wash for the blond, the things that weren't dry clean only, and damn if Matt didn't feel stupid for avidly waiting for the blond when he was gone, like some pet waiting for their master to come home, or a lovesick teenager. Which he supposed he was. Damn that sucked.

With a sigh he pealed off the current shirt he wore and tossed it into the pile, a rather large pile that was sort of hard to miss though he had managed it, in the overstuffed hamper. With another sigh, and larger yawn, he heaved the hamper off the floor and left his room.

He walked, mostly naked, being clad in only a pair of one-up mushroom boxers, to the laundry room. Mello had paid no mind to the amount of money that was spent on the things in the apartment, merely going for whatever was deemed the best, and that included the washer and dryer. It paid to be in the Mafiya at times, Matt thought.

Though he was still only able to fit about half the pile into the first load. He really had gone too long without doing wash. He'd blame it on Mello and move on. Things were usually Mello's fault anyway, as Matt got so caught up trying to make sure the blond didn't get himself killed, or worrying about him, that everything else seemed to fade into the background.

Well that and he needed sleep and game time. But he sure as hell wasn't about to pin it on his games.

With the first half of his laundry in he wandered from the room and carefully peaked inside Mello's bedroom, after finding the door shut, to see that the blond was still sleeping. Matt smiled slightly; Mello really had exhausted himself.

He was sprawled, face first, into the mattress with the covers half off the bed despite only wearing a pair of boxers that hung dangerously low on his slim hips. Matt tore his gaze from their wandering and stepped lightly into the room and tugged the blankets up to the blond's shoulders.

Mello mumbled something and curled up under the new warmth of the blankets and Matt shook his head. Some Mafiya boss; Matt could have killed him by now if he'd wanted. Though maybe Mello simply felt safe with them... Matt decided he wanted to go with that.

He made sure to carefully close the door behind him, as quietly as possibly so as to not wake the blond, and was startled by Near who stood there silently watching him. When he was far enough away from the door he took a deep breath. "Fuck Near, you scared the shit out of me. Damn creeper." he added the last bit playfully and smiled as Near's lips twitched into a small grin.

"Mello is still sleeping I presume?" he questioned as his fingers played with a strand of hair, something he had never grown out of. Matt nodded and wondered how odd it must have looked for Matt to walk out of Mello's room in only a pair of boxers.

"I'm doing laundry, do you need me to do any of your things while I'm at it? I'm down to this pair of boxers and that's it, so my stuff will be in there for a bit." he asked while he wandered into the main room to find his cigarettes. Seeing them on the desk he lit one up and turned to Near who he knew had followed him.

"I will do my own when you are done. I do not have much else to do. There were no more attempts at the system whilst you slept. I will be taking a nap for a short while. Goodnight Matt."

He inclined his head to the shorter albino and watched as he disappeared behind the wall as though he were merely a ghost. Matt wondered if they would ever get used to the odd hours of sleep they received. Again it was Mello's fault, but neither of them minded much.

Matt smirked around his cigarette. It wasn't as though Mello even _knew _what they did to keep his systems safe, so not all the blame rested upon him. The rest could be placed on the idiots who tried to hack into it. Matt could hardly believe the amount of people a week, never mind a month, that attempted.

Most of the time the firewalls Matt had installed, just about the only thing Mello had let him do, which had been in the early days, stopped the offenders before they even reached the outer walls of the system; but enough times Matt or Near were needed to fend off the hacker where the firewalls had failed.

Only once had Near had to rouse him from slumber to get rid of someone. Matt had taught Near everything he had known about hacking, though they were both still constantly learning, but Near simply wasn't as good as him.

They generally took turns in monitoring the system but every so often their schedules ended up the same so they were able to spend time together. Usually Matt was able to get Near into a game of chess or dominos for a while.

But as the albino was going to sleep, Matt would have to entertain himself for a while.

His stomach chose the moment to growl loudly at him, reminding him that he had yet to eat anything in quite a while. Between sleeping and his energy drink feast, he'd had nothing of any real nutritional value for some time.

Not that what he planned to eat was much better. But it tasted good.

He pulled the box of toaster pastries out of the freezer and slid two of them into the toaster while popping a third into the microwave; and while it was not as good as cooking it in the toaster, it worked well enough. The ingredients were already cooked so Matt figured it didn't really matter.

He leaned against the counter only to jerk away as a shock of cold had run through him. He rubbed his side to warm it and really wished his clothes would finish soon. He would go and lay under the covers, except for the fact that he needed to monitor the system while Near was sleeping; and he would be more than tempted to fall back to sleep in the warmth of his bed.

With a sigh Matt took his breakfast and sat on the couch; the leather provided some comfort after the initial shock of sitting against the cool material. He ate in silence, having not bothered to switch on the television, and stayed seated for long moments after he was done.

He found that his thoughts drifted not nothing in particular and instead went to the most mundane things, wondering if they had enough laundry soap left for the rest of the week, or if the crappy game he was playing online would have been updated with new content yet.

The latter though, he decided to actually check out as he still had around another twenty minutes before he could place his things in the dryer.

The game did, in fact, have new quests added to it; though in Matt's opinion it could have been so much better. In fact, it rather bored him. But in the interest of passing time he sat there and diligently finished the quest, while making a note to perhaps, fix the glitches he'd seen. Simply for the fact that the programmers would be in wonderment of how the errors had simply disappeared...

With those twenty minutes up, and he didn't care if the wash wasn't done, as he would _make _it done, he left the laptop on and wandered back to the laundry room. It had just finished the last spin cycle and he grinned as the loud _click_ of the door locking mechanism coming off sounded in the room.

He quickly tossed the clothes into the dryer and set it on high. He didn't worry about things shrinking as he generally wore clothes a size or two too big as it was. He shoved the remaining dirty clothes into the wash, having to completely pack the machine, and left it to do its thing.

Matt knew that his clothes would take longer than ten minutes to dry, at least all of them, he just hoped that one or two would be dry enough to wear. He sighed again. He was a genius, and yet he hadn't thought to simply pick out a shirt and jeans to dry so he could wear them?

Perfect.

With a grumble he sat back down at the laptop and decided on a game of solitaire. Or more like a few games of solitaire. At some point later he shivered and winced at the feeling of an oncoming stomach ache. He frowned and lit another cigarette in attempt to placate it, though he doubted it would. His body had never taken well to being cold, and at the moment, he was freezing.

The wash would still need to be in at least another five minutes for things to be moderately dry. He heaved himself up from the chair and went to into the kitchen where he proceeded to make himself a cup of coffee.

It would only warm him a little, but it was better than nothing as well as a good distraction; it was either that or count down the minutes in his head until the dryer was done. And that was not something he'd prefer to do.

With the coffee firmly in his grasp, cigarette held between his fingers, he took a sip and shivered as the warm liquid made its way down to the pit of his stomach. He hated being so damn cold.

And with that thought in mind, he decided that he could deal with something not quite dry, it would dry quick enough while he was wearing it. Gulping down the rest of the coffee the and leaving it on the counter, Matt quickly walked to the laundry room and stopped the dryer, which still had fifteen minutes to go.

He sighed in slight irritation, still not quite caring enough to get angry, when everything he touched was damp; far too damp to be worn. With a frown he chose a pair of jeans and found that only the legs weren't dry. He could deal with that. Or at least that was his thought until he put them on. He frowned at the unfamiliar sticky wet feeling of the denim but heaved a sigh and buttoned them despite it. It was better than nothing.

Most of the shirts however, having been balled up in the middle of the wash, were no where even close to being done and Matt doubted that even fifteen minutes would do it. The ash dropped of the end of his cigarette and fell onto the clothes but he paid it no mind in his hunt for a shirt.

He was about to simply go grab his blanket from his bed and huddle by the computer, which he _should_ have done before, when he found one that was dry. Completely dry. It had been stuck on the outer wall and closest to the heat and was nice and warm.

The only problem was that it wasn't the same color as it had been when he'd put it in the wash that morning. He groaned at the realization that he had forgotten to wash his black and white striped shirts separately... now they were pink and black. He just wasn't having a good day.

He slipped it on anyway. He didn't really care, he'd just didn't like the color pink. At all. But the shirt was warm.

He closed the dryer door, after adjusting the remaining time to an hour, and turned around to see Near staring at him blankly; though for Near the expression was something akin to 'what the hell are you wearing?'

He had honestly thought Near would have slept a bit longer.

"I forgot to wash my reds separately." he shrugged. He would just have to buy more shirts, as after this he wasn't wearing any of the pink ones. He'd had about six black and white striped ones when he'd started the wash; he figured it was too much to hope that the rest of them had stayed that way.

Near's expression was slightly dubious, in his own way; as though he didn't believe Matt in the least despite not having seen him wear such colors _ever_.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm gay, but I honestly didn't intend to make my shirt pink. I'm not that gay." Near's lip twitched upwards in what Matt would call amusement. He didn't mind telling Near as he had known Near had suspected it.

"Besides, it's not like you've caught me whacking off to gay-porn or fingering myself." Matt told the albino in an offhanded manor, just because he could. And what the hell, he was on a roll; that and he wanted to see what Near's reaction would be.

Near just blinked in his usual bland way while still making it abundantly clear that he had not, in _any_ way, needed to hear that.

Matt just laughed and walked off down the hall as though he had not just revealed to his friend that he possibly preferred to take it up the ass.

He went back to the kitchen to fetch another cup of coffee, out of the pot that he'd made, and sighed.

Really... it was almost a relief that Near knew. Now the albino would not look at him with that calculating look he sometimes got when certain situations arose; though that had also probably just solidified, in Near's mind, what his feelings for Mello were.

He really had no reason to hide it from Near, it was only Mello that couldn't find out. He wished Mello wasn't so hell bent on bringing L down that everything else was pushed to the side. But that was just how the blond was when he got obsessed.

And while Matt agreed that L had to be brought to justice, rather ironic in a way, he also wanted to live, at least somewhat, in the meantime, not simply exist. But both himself and Near had stopped trying to change Mello's mind years ago. It just wasn't worth the fights and subsequent silence that followed such actions.

Matt just wished that they had thought to protest long before it had become too late to do so; perhaps it would have gotten through? Though he knew it was useless to speculate. Mello was Mello and would do what he wanted, consequences and others feelings be damned.

"Matt." he turned to face Near, who held out a pawn in his hand, and smiled.

"Shall I set it up then?" he asked the albino as he stirred sugar into the cup. He didn't bother with cream at the moment as he wanted the liquid to stay warm for a while longer than it would have with the cream added.

Near nodded and he knew, not that he hadn't before, that the albino didn't care about his sexual orientation. He took the cup with him as they left the kitchen and went back into the main room, where the chess board was.

They would probably only play a few games, but it would be fun while it lasted. That was the thing though, any happiness around there only lasted a short while...

Matt didn't know how, but the entire L thing had to end, he wasn't sure how any of them could truly be happy otherwise.

**-End**_** Bleed**_**- **

**AN:** Ha! My favorite part is when Near finds Matt with the pink shirt. Honestly I was literally sitting at my computer and SOMEHOW, because even i'm not sure, my mind got from whack (as in kill) to whacking off in like 3 seconds flat and this was born...heh

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Raven-and-Ray, critter141151, iluvbleach10, MyChocoholic, Misha2011, schoolkid, JJ, Slayers64, Diamone, FluffyDuck-01, Bedessica, Zellicy, Shadow Dancer666, Living in a fantasy, Miname Shiranai, Beyond'sWaraNingyo

Review?


	15. Chapter 12: Safe

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note..

**AN**: Nothing to really say about this.. more hinting at pl0t though... hehe

**Suggested Listening**: Pussy **by **Rammstein**;** Cry Little Sister (A Darker View - Remix) **by** G Tom Mac

**Chapter Twelve**: _Safe _

Matt glanced up at the sound of a yawn and almost dropped the chess piece he held. Mello stood in the doorway, hand over his mouth as he yawned, in nothing but his boxers; which were still dangerously close to sliding down his hips.

Matt forced his attention back to the game. He couldn't really say anything about not walking around half naked, as he had just done the same thing that morning. And more to the point, Mello was probably still too asleep to realize he hadn't' dressed yet; that or he didn't care.

That was also possible. It was hard to read Mello at times.

He felt Mello's eyes on him and after they hadn't shifted for more than a few seconds Matt looked over, though he was careful to keep his eyes glued to Mello's face...

The blond was staring at him with a slightly confused expression, sleep still glaringly evident in his muddled blue eyes. "I thought you hated pink." was the only thing that Mello's sleep fogged brain could think to comment on and Matt found himself smiling.

"I do." he stated blandly as he finally moved the pawn to a different spot. Near had already begun to move as he placed the pawn and though Matt already knew what his next move would be, he made no move to hurry. Mello heaved a small sigh and Matt could just hear the unspoken _'then why the fuck are you wearing it?_'

He decided to ignore it though and went back to the game. If Mello really wanted to know then he'd ask. Probably after he'd had a few cups of coffee. Though Near saved him the trouble when he stated "Matt did not separate his wash correctly." he rolled his eyes at the albino who merely inclined his head.

Mello snorted and shook his head. "Fucking idiot..." and stalked out of the room, though Matt didn't look to see where to. Though from the clanging of things it was probably the kitchen. He and Near quickly completed their game, which incidentally had been game ten, and Matt left Near to pack it up.

It had previously been upon unspoken agreement to quit playing when Mello got up. Though he had slept longer then either of them had anticipated. Matt wondered what he had been doing to not only get injured, but exhaust himself so thoroughly. He wouldn't ask though; simply because he wouldn't be given an answer.

He just hoped that the blond wasn't in over his head.

Matt seated himself at the laptop desk and opened WoW in one window and his actual work in another. He didn't have any pressing hacks to do, for fun or otherwise, but he did have to see if anyone had any information for him.

Being a hacker opened one up to a whole network of other people, some trustworthy, and others only as much as the amount of money offered. Matt was always careful about how he worded things, just in case L was listening in. Things were always coded.

And it wasn't that L couldn't decode it, it just wasn't something he would probably look at as he wasn't a geek so it wouldn't be a red flag to him; at least not initially.

There was always something for him to do, whether or not it took long was another story. He could have an entire list of things that only amounted to an hours work or one thing that took the entire night. It was never clear as to which it would be any given day. He logged into a different server and accessed a separate e-mail from there. There were no new messages in his inbox. So much for information.

He had just placed one of his ear buds in when a small wad of cash was thrown onto his keyboard. He glanced up at Mello, who was leaned against the back of the couch with the coffee cup in hand, and had to immediately divert his eyes from trailing any further than the blond's stomach.

He really had to stop doing that. Or Mello really needed to properly dress himself. Matt decided on the latter.

"What's this for?" he asked as he fingered the roll of bills. It was a nice sum of money too, he thought, once he'd counted it in an uninterested manner. He could make more than that on one hack.

"I know you won't wear that shirt again. And I don't think I'm going off on a limb in assuming you've ruined more than one shirt." Mello sipped at the coffee and Matt couldn't help but feel vaguely annoyed.

"I can just get it online, you know. You don't have to give me money for it." and though he knew he'd invited trouble with the comment, he couldn't help but feel slightly satisfied at the way Mello's eyes narrowed.

"You're not still hacking are you?" Mello questioned, though it was more of a command then what his tone suggested. And though it was his own fault, Matt really didn't want to deal with Mello's paranoia or whatever it was at the moment. He placed the other ear bud in and turned on his music.

He thought he heard a slight hiss but paid it no mind. At least not until Mello's hand slapped on the desk and his headphones were being yanked from his ears. "Are you still fucking hacking?" Mello snarled, his face leaning in and his eyes flashing with anger and something Matt _might_ call worry.

He said nothing and Mello's eyes narrowed even further. "That shit is dangerous Matt, what happens if you're caught and you get tracked down when I'm not here? Then what?" and though Mello's voice was steel Matt knew that not all of it was anger.

It didn't make him any less irritated with the blond. "Don't preach to me when you are in far more dangerous situations daily." he stated blandly and grabbed up his headphones from the table.

"Fine! Fuck it. I don't care anymore, do whatever the fuck you want." Mello yelled and threw his hands up in anger. He gave Matt one last look of disdain before he stormed out of the room, and from the sound of the slamming door he had entered the bathroom. It was proven correct as the sound of running water became noticeable.

Matt took a shaky breath and lit another cigarette. He honestly hadn't meant to start a fight, though what other outcome could there have possibly been? But really, Mello had no right to say such things when he was in far greater danger; hell he had gotten injured just the night before!

Matt understood the need to protect, but damn if Mello didn't go overboard sometimes... he took a long drag and sighed as the nicotine flooded his veins. He couldn't stay irritated at the blond though, no matter how much he may have wanted to. It was simply an impossibility.

Though the probability of Matt apologizing was nil. It wasn't his or Mello's style. It hadn't been so before and it certainly wasn't now.

Not for the first time, Matt wished for the days when things were simpler.

He ignored Near, who had appeared in his peripheral vision, and decided that he definitely needed to game for a while; if only to calm his nerves a bit more. He turned the music up louder and logged into his main account and went to work. Killing pixilated creatures was very good stress relief.

At least in his opinion.

He had just finished completing a few quests, grabbing some loot and kicking some ass when he became aware of the leather clad figure standing beside him, looking vaguely unhappy. Matt had a feeling he knew what about. He might have gotten away with it had it not been for their earlier argument, or shouting match on Mello's behalf.

Matt glanced at the clock and supposed that he was lucky to have gotten that much time to himself. Mello had probably only recently gotten out of the shower then.

"Matt take those fucking things off." and he didn't need any clarification on to what 'those fucking things' were. With a barely disguised sigh he pulled his headphones free and let them gently crack against the desk.

Mello didn't say anything for a short while, merely staring at him. "How many of those things do you drink a day? And I don't mean the damn coffee." even if Mello hadn't specified enough for him to have figured it out, he had already known. Though it really wasn't all that bad...

"It depends." he told Mello with a shrug. And it did depend. It depended on how many days Mello was gone and how dangerous what Mello was doing was. Not that Mello ever told them; Matt just generally hacked into Mello's database as most things were right in there. And it wasn't as though he lived off of that stuff normally. Only when the blond was gone... but Mello wouldn't know that.

"How many Matt?" Mello asked again, his voice holding an even sharper edge to it. Matt knew where this conversation would end up, and he was fine with it, as it happened every so often with things Mello felt were bad for his health. The only thing Mello hadn't been able to get rid of was his smoking, and Matt doubted he could stop even if he wanted to.

Which he didn't.

"I don't know, maybe eight. It depends." it also depended on how many days he'd had to stay up with no sleep before that. So yeah, it was perhaps slightly hazardous to his health to drink so many of them along with the caffeine pills and his cigarettes, but he hadn't dropped dead yet so he figured he had a few more years, at the least, of poisoning himself before he croaked.

He was just glad the caffeine pills didn't leave any tell-tail wrappers or he would have been in deep shit.

"That's way too many. Do you even read the warnings on those damn cans? Never mind, you could probably recite the fucking thing to me. I don't want to see them in the house again. Understood?" Mello had raked a hand through his damp hair and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Fine." he muttered. Mello generally came across as controlling, but Matt knew it was the only the way Mello knew how to show his concern anymore. Or felt comfortable in showing it; it wasn't something he could often do in his Mafiya life. But it was alright, Matt would just buy a different brand. So he wouldn't be disobeying Mello.

Ahh, loopholes. Got to love them.

Mello stared at him, eyes searching his features for any lies, and when he found none, continued on.

"And I don't want to see that ashtray overflowing like that again, or those will be the next to go." Matt rolled his eyes at the blond on that one. They both knew it was an empty threat. Or it had better be, because if his cigarettes suddenly went missing there would be hell to pay. Nicotine withdrawal was a bitch and even if he had to follow Mello to the damn hideout he would pay for it.

He may love him, but don't touch his damn cigarettes.

Mello went silent, and fidgeted ever so slightly, before it became apparent he had no more to say and was uncomfortable with the attention drawn to him; which was a first. It almost reminded Matt of when they were younger. Almost. Except Mello hadn't had that scar on his face then.

Or wore leather.

Mello had finally had enough of the awkwardness and turned to leave. "Mello?" he asked. The blond stopped and tilted his head to the side in question but still showed his back to him.

"How long are you here for?" Matt found himself asking. It was never the same. Sometimes it was days... sometimes hours. But never for too long.

Never as long as he would have liked, despite the havoc the blond brought with him.

"Another day or so. Whenever they get too dysfunctional without me." Mello told him and stiffly walked off. Things were getting different as of late, Matt noticed. Mello seemed more... strained? around him. And he had no idea as to the reason.

He really missed just being able to talk to him...

But Matt supposed that they all missed something or other. They weren't kids anymore, if they had ever been, and he couldn't spend his time lingering on something that would probably never happen again. It sucked that things had changed so much but he would just have to deal.

There was a loud slam that echoed through the kitchen and into the main room, and Matt knew that Mello had to be in there, though he couldn't fathom what he could be doing. Mello had done a lot of strange things as of late...

He turned his attention back to the game which had been idle for the last few minutes and sighed. He really didn't feel like continuing with WOW. Perhaps a different platform, rather than the computer?

The Wii? No... that required effort he didn't feel like having to give at the moment. X-box then, as he had the most games for it.

But first he supposed he ought to do a quick system check to make sure nothing was getting under the firewalls scanners. He cracked his neck, replaced his headphones, and went to work. It wasn't hard to do, not really at all, but he hated having to do something more than once.

Call him paranoid, maybe a learned behavior from Mello, but he had to make sure nothing had gotten through.

Anything, even a very small and innocuous thing, could get them killed if it landed in the wrong hands. That was why he and Near paid so much attention to the system. Mello was doing his part, in his own way, and they were doing all they could to back him up even when Mello didn't want their help.

There had been a few attempts, rather halfheartedly as though the people had stumbled upon their server by accident and tried to hack it but gave up once it became a struggle, but other than that there was nothing. Which Matt was grateful for. He didn't mind a good hack, he just preferred it to be him doing the hacking. Then again, who didn't?

He noticed Mello, as he came out of the kitchen, and exited the system. Mello would recognize it in a second and Matt would be hard pressed to explain himself to an already irritated blond. He pulled up his e-mail again, which was far safer to look at, and was mildly intrigued by the message in his inbox.

He made sure Mello wasn't within reading distance before he opened it, and grinned widely at the contents. It was from someone he trusted, for the most part. Someone he had met in person before.

He apparently had something for him, something he might be 'interested' to know. As L hadn't been brought down on their head from their last two meetings, one of which would not be mentioned again, he felt vaguely certain that it wouldn't happen that time either.

Matt sent an e-mail back requesting a time, date and meeting place.

He received an answer hardly five minutes later.

It was set for dusk the next day at some crappy bar, Matt had been there before, about three hours from their apartment. The only hard part would be slipping past Mello. Matt winced. He generally coveted the time the blond was around, and not making a nuisance of himself, and now he needed him gone. Lovely.

Matt supposed that it couldn't be helped though.

He would figure it out the next day when the time for him to leave came about, to do so otherwise was stupid as circumstances with Mello changed every minute. For the moment though, he would play a few games... after he got his laundry.

He logged out of his e-mails, after deleting the two from the 'unknown sender', and left the laptop on. Mello wouldn't be able to get into anything of value so he wasn't worried.

With a sigh he headed back to the laundry room, something he should have done early that had completely slipped his mind, to check the damage done. The dryer door popped open with a loud click and a few shirts tumbled out. Matt shook his head and tossed them in the laundry basket.

He reached inside and pulled the clothes out and was satisfied that hardly any of them fell to the floor, save for the odd sock and a pair of boxers. Though he did stare distastefully at the random strips of pink he spotted in the pile. He would probably just get some more shirts while he was out; if he could find that store again that actually had the thick stripes he liked.

With the dryer free he transferred the other load in and started it; though he would probably forget about it until later, or even tomorrow.

He hauled the basket into his room with him and hastily put his clothes away. He wasn't one for folding them as they always got messed up when he searched for something anyway. He left the basket at the foot of his bed and sat down on the floor where his x-box was situated amongst his other consoles.

He decided on DOOM 3 simply because he hadn't played it in a long time. And killing zombies and other creatures was always fun. Matt had no idea how much time had passed, only that it was too much as he was suddenly starving for something to eat.

After mentally debating for a few moments, he saved and exited the game and simply turned it off. He could play it again in a few days. He wanted food that would take longer than three minutes in the microwave to prepare, and he didn't want to leave the game on pause for however long that would be.

After stretching his stiff muscles he limped slightly into the main room; his leg still bothered him if in one position for too long. He didn't see Near anywhere as he entered and wondered where he had slinked off to. He could have been sleeping again or watching the system from the comfort of his bedroom. Or doing whatever Near did on his own time. Matt wasn't really all that interested to take the time to find out.

What he did notice was that the large television was on, some movies credits scrolling across the screen, and Mello was lounging on the couch, dozing. Matt shook his head slightly at the sight. Mello reminded him of a cat.. or perhaps a panther. Beautiful and elegant but dangerous as hell. A hunter, a predator.

And he still seemed all those things even in his sleep. Only Mello...

He moved on into the kitchen, quieter than his earlier proceedings, and immediately noticed what the blond had been up to earlier. The trash bin was riddled with empty energy drink cans, as he could only assume Mello had dumped all of into the sink. He rolled his eyes and made a mental note to buy some more, a different brand of course, when he went shopping the next day.

Or whenever he got the chance.

Honestly, what a waste. He shrugged a shoulder absently as he searched through the cabinets for what he wanted. Things were calm, Matt noted, despite the small amounts of drama that went on every so often.

He couldn't help but feel like something was brewing though... he just hoped it wouldn't end badly, whatever it was.

**-End **_**Safe**_**-**

**AN**: yay for ominous stuff! And you get action in the next chapter… XD Also, should I do another contest? Is that something everyone would like? Or no?

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Diamone, Miname Shiranai, Raven-and-Ray, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, schoolkid, Slayers64, critter141151, JJ, FluffyDuck-01, Zellicy, Living in a fantasy, Misha2011, Bedessica, foreverunloved, MyChocoholic

Review?


	16. Chapter 13: Sixth

**Disclaimer**: I dont own death note.

**AN**: Hehehehe :)

**Suggested Listening**: Hush Hush **by** The Spill Canvas**; **Gold Guns Girls **by** Metric (best to listen to the last 700 or so words with this. It fits, as I also wrote that scene to it)

**Chapter Thirteen**:_ Sixth _

Matt hated mornings, he decided for the umpteenth time. Not because he had to get up, though that was annoying high on the list of reasons as well as well. No, Matt hated mornings because of the problem he got every so often, which usually ended up being more often then he liked.

He sighed softly and though he normally would have ignored it, or simply taken a cold shower, he didn't feel like doing that this time. Even he needed a little bit of stress relief once in a while.

Matt tugged the sheets down his body so that they pooled at his lower thighs and shivered at the slight chill that assaulted his exposed parts. He pushed his boxers over his hips and kicked them somewhere under the blankets and wrapped his fingers around his erection.

He hissed slightly at the contact and closed his eyes. He couldn't help the fact that he immediately pictured Mello's face flushed in anger or how Mello's eyes flashed dangerously when equally annoyed..

Matt groaned quietly and allowed his head to sink further into the pillow and sped up his already jerky movements. He thought of Mello's body encased in that sleek leather, the way it clung to him so closely that it was like a second skin.

He bit his lip and imagined that it was Mello jerking him off. He sighed softly as he came, spilling across his hand and parts of the bed.

He lay there, in the aftermath, and simply allowed his breathing to fully come back under control before he even so much as thought of getting out of bed. He knew his face was probably still flushed, and perhaps even the rest of him as his skin had always been rather pale, but the longer he stayed in bed the longer he would either want to curl up and go back to sleep or do that again for the absolute high he received.

And despite both of the tempting offers... he did have things he needed to accomplish. Possibly. But first he needed a shower, and it would also serve to wake him up further as he was left with a slightly too relaxed feeling for the moment. He made a note to wash his sheets as he wiped off the last sticky remains of his semen onto the slightly damp fabric.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and searched for his tossed aside boxers that were tangled at the bottom, quickly replacing them, though if he could have simply walked naked to the bathroom he would have but he would rather not run into Mello or Near in that state.

He grabbed a set of clothes for the day, letting his goggles stay by his neck despite his wavering vision, and walked out of his room. He did remember to shut the door as he left.

He thought he saw a blur of blond and black but without his goggles on he couldn't be sure. He was simply navigating his way to the bathroom from memory alone and let a small secretive smile stretch his lips; he didn't think Mello or Near knew about his eyesight problems.

Matt held his goggles up to his face, once he'd locked the door, only long enough to get the temperature right and step inside. He closed his eyes against the blurred vision that threatened to give him a headache.

He could have left the goggles on, but he needed to wash his hair rather than simply let it get wet. He could manage without them for a while longer; his record for going without them was over a week, and only because he had been sick and hadn't needed them anyway.

He groped the wall until he found the small, smooth feeling bar and took it from the shelf.

He lathered himself in the soap and resisted the urge to touch himself again, as he would be hard pressed to keep himself silent with the lingering sensitivity that always prevailed after an orgasm. That and he really thought himself better than that. Most of the time at any rate.

Most of the time he was indifferent to sex and masturbation but every once and a while he indulged himself, though it usually left him with a small amount of wanting for the next few hours afterwards. That and it made him think things he'd rather not about Mello.

It really sucked loving someone who was too obsessed with revenge, among other things, to notice you.

He turned the knob further to the cold side; if not fully awakened his thoughts tended to be a little...off. It never led anyplace good.

Matt hissed as the water switched unpleasantly quick to a far cooler temperature; he hadn't intended for it to be so cold but he would deal with it. As such he only spent another five minutes in the shower before shutting the water off. He stood there, shivering slightly, for a few seconds as he replaced his goggles, before he stepped from the shower and dried himself.

He was lucky there were always towels left in the bathroom closet or he would have had to drip-dry. It was a highly unpleasant thing to have to do.

Matt felt better though, and far more awake, as he tugged on his jeans and shirt and stepped from the bathroom. Though, he reasoned, the non blurred vision could have been part of it. Sometimes, he honestly felt it was too much trouble hiding the issue. It wasn't as though either Mello or Near would have really cared...

He supposed it was just so ingrained in his mind, from years at Wammys and hiding it from Mello's Mafiya men, to ever be fully broken away from. In the end, he let it slip from his mind like all of his other thoughts.

In reality... he was simply attempting to pass the time until he had to leave. He hadn't forgotten that he was to meet his informer. Far from it. It promised to be a very good visit.

But he knew that until he had met with him, that he would be restless for the entire day. He always was. And figured that he always would be. He hadn't yet figured out if it was because of the possible gold mine of information or something else entirely... something that may or many not have had to do with going behind Mello's back about the whole thing.

Matt decided that he may just be suicidal because if Mello ever found out he would most likely murder him. And probably Near as well as the albino usually knew what Matt's plans were; which reminded him that he needed to tell Near what he would be doing while out.

He always told Near if he was going out, just in case, but mainly so that if he wasn't back and hadn't called within a certain amount of time, something could be done as Near would know that there was a problem rather than assume he was simply involved in another 'project'.

Thankfully nothing of the sort had happened yet.

He deposited his dirty clothes into his, now empty, laundry basket and wandered back out into the main room. Mello was draped across one end of the cough, half watching some movie and half reading some report, while Near was awkwardly seated on the other end of the couch playing with a robot; though Matt knew he was actually watching the movie as his eye was latched onto the screen through the fringe of his hair.

He left them to it as he searched out a package of pop tarts for brunch, as he had taken longer than usual in getting up so it was just about eleven-forty. He bit into one of the Smores flavored ones, Matt knew that they were only in the apartment because Mello would also eat them, and stalked quietly back into the main room.

He quietly leaned over the couch and draped his arms over Near's shoulders. "Morning Near." he said loudly and felt Mello's gaze on him as well as Near tense slightly. "I have to go meet someone at dusk. Be back by eleven the latest." he whispered by the albino's ear before he pulled away, pop tart back in his mouth.

"Morning Mello." he commented slowly as blue eyes narrowed at him. Mello knew something was up with him, as his previous behavior was a bit odd, but Matt had figured that if he didn't let Near know now, he would probably forget to do so later. And that could cause a problem.

But so long as he didn't act too strangely throughout the rest of the day he knew Mello would let it drop. For the most part. And while he wished the three of them could do something together, even a game of cards, Matt knew it wouldn't happen so he simply went to his laptop to play something, perhaps the original DOOM or some other computerized first person game.

It would help to pass the time, as he had a few hours before he needed to leave, as well as allow him to monitor the system; though he was certain Near was doing that even as he sat there.

He really wanted to know what the information was; what it pertained to. There were limitless things it could be and it nagged at Matt's brain. It was supposed to be something big, but what each person constituted as 'big' was different.

He finished the rest of the first pop tart and opened the game. He couldn't afford to dwell on it as it would make time go by that much slower. Instead he focused on beating the game in record time. Well, record time for him anyway. Which really only meant beating his own already high scores.

He saw Mello move about the apartment every so often, Near shifting to the floor after a while, and wondered just how long Mello would be there, if he would still be there when he got back.

He hoped so.

Despite the silence that prevailed around them, he enjoyed his company. And he knew Near did as well.

He shook his head slightly and shoved the remaining pop tart, that he hadn't eaten before, into his mouth and forced himself to go back to the game. It was hard to concentrate, and Matt wondered why he seemed to think that the information was worth all of his attention... though he also reasoned it had to do with _who_ he was meeting with.

What a can of worms he had opened...

At around two-thirty, which had seemed to take forever to get to, he shut off his laptop and grabbed his wallet, though all the information in it was fake, and keys and had almost made it out the door before Mello caught him.

"Where are you going Matt?" and though it wasn't a demand there was _something_ in the blond's voice that stopped him from simply ignoring him and walking on as he might have normally done.

"Shopping. I need new shirts, remember? I'll be a while as the place I'm going is a while away and I cant get it done online. Do either of you need anything while I'm out?" which meant he would actually have to shop or it would seem a bit odd if he came home with nothing. He had needed to anyway so he didn't really mind, and he was certain there was a place open late by the bar.

Mello eyed him for another moment before shaking his head and slinking off to his room; Matt decided he would have to pick up some chocolate for him.

He glanced at Near who titled his head ever so slightly to the side; Near didn't require anything either. If he saw it he would pick up a pack of playing cards for him as he knew his old ones had a rip in the ace of spades which made it unable to support weight correctly for card stacking.

Matt wondered, as he rushed down the stairs and into the garage, why Mello had let him go without much of a fight. But figured it might have had to do with their arguments so he didn't think too much on it.

He eyed his cherry red Camaro with a grin and slid into the seat. Damn he loved his car. The leather seats were smooth under him and he sighed happily.

He started the car and carefully sped out of the garage; careful only in the way he made sure not to run into anything. Matt switched on the radio, though after a few horrible songs in Russian turned on the CD player he'd installed instead. He always forgot that the music was different from his playlist.

It wasn't like he went out_ that _often...

The drive went relatively smoothly, the darkening of the sky being the only interesting thing, so he was calm as he pulled into the bars parking lot, which was away from the prying eyes of the street. He pocketed his keys and locked up the car, though he wasn't' sure if they weren't simply leaving again soon.

The meeting place was never where they actually stayed. It was smarter that way.

He was actually a little late, but knew that it wouldn't matter much. He stepped into the bar, being bombarded by all the _noise,_ and had only gotten as far as the coat rack before a figure stepped into his path.

He grinned slightly despite himself.

"I should have known you'd be late. You always are. Good to see you Matt." he merely nodded at the man and followed him from the bar, which he was glad he'd only been in for only a few seconds as it smelled terrible, and even down the streets. He made sure to memorize the way so that he could get back.

He shivered in the air and wished he'd thought to wear more than his vest, which had no sleeves. They stopped, after turning down an alleyway, once they had gotten halfway down and suddenly it was all silence.

The man shifted from foot to foot slightly before he stepped closer.

Matt wondered, that if any one else watched them, if they would see what he did. The hesitant way the man stood beside him, the slightly awkward smile he had, and the lingering glances he gave. Would they connect it to the one time they'd slept together, or would he simply seem nervous like an informant might? It was an interesting thing to think on really.

But for another time.

Now it was time to get the information he'd come for. "So what do you have for me?" he drawled before he slid a cigarette into his mouth. The blue eyed man, Jack as he was called, sighed softly and leaned against the cold brick. Matt knew what his thoughts were really on, but he wouldn't give into him...

"I remember you once let slip that you were looking for stuff on L." Jack said with a slight smile. Matt winced, he remembered that incident. "I've been hearing things lately, about what he might be up to. I wondered if you were interested?"

And Matt knew what he was 'interested' in. He also knew he would get the information without it too. And so did Jack, as he merely sighed after a long pause and continued.

"The word is that L is finally making a move on organized crime, and that he is going to hit it hard. He's going after the big wigs and the small fries. It doesn't matter who or what they are to the organizations."

Matt nearly choked on the smoke that filled his mouth and had to exhale quickly.

"Apparently the United States, and a few other huge countries, here included, have decided enough is enough and coughed up the right amount of dough to intrigue L into taking the stand."

"And why would this interest me?" Matt breathed out lowly. Why would Jack believe this had any bearing on him...?

"You don't hide yourself well enough, in that way." Matt narrowed his eyes at the man. "You are too edgy, always looking over your shoulder, like you expect something to happen. And I doubt it's just the whole L situation. That's why I thought you should know."

Matt sighed, though it was more of relief than anything, and had to contain the smile that threatened to take hold. Jack thought he was in with the Mafiya. Which Matt supposed was true, in a way. Mello was, and he was with Mello just as much as Near was.

"Thanks. Make sure you don't stay in the same place you are in now. I don't need to hear about some idiot getting himself killed after pissing the wrong people off." Matt commented dryly. Because no matter how innocent spreading this information might be, despite the fact that it wasn't publicized, it was a possible death sentence should the wrong people decide it.

"I owe you one."

"I know." Jack replied with a weak smile. Matt closed his eyes behind his goggles and though he knew Jack would never ask, not after Matt had made it perfectly clear there would be nothing more than comradeship, he knew what the man wanted.

"Where do you want to do this? And it better not be outside because I'm not freezing off important parts of my body for you." he noted the way Jack's eyes lit up and felt slightly sick. Matt kind of felt bad for him, because no matter how much of a friend, and he used the term loosely, he was and how much Jack liked him, Matt just couldn't care about him.

And Jack knew it. But would still take what was offered. It was sick, and slightly heartbreaking in a way.

And Matt completely blamed his current actions on his stupidly that morning. "I know you've got places to go so I won't keep you long. Follow me." Jack held out his hand and Matt surprised a sigh and simply took it.

It was cold out; it was always cold out in Russia. At least it always was when Matt went outside. Perhaps he was just missing the warmer days, but he didn't think so. He hoped that wherever they were going had heating.

He kept his face hidden by the collar of his fur lined vest and hated the fact that he felt adrenaline begin to race through his veins. This would be his sixth time in total; not with Jack, but in general.

Jack led them to a black car with tinted windows, highly conspicuous in Matt's opinion though enough so that most wouldn't look twice at it as it screamed danger, and opened the passenger side for him. Without any prompting he slid into the seat and let Jack close the door and wander around to the drivers side.

Matt raised an eyebrow as Jack simply locked the doors after he'd turned the heat on. Matt had never had sex in a car before. He supposed there was a first for everything.

Jack began to unzip his jacket so Matt got rid of his vest, as well as tugging his boots off.

He only got as far as undoing his belt before he was pinned to the seat, Jack pressing into him, and his mouth being molested. His breath hitched in surprise and Jack's tongue found its way into his mouth as his hand wormed its way into his boxers to stroke him into forming an erection.

To Matt's disappointment, it didn't take long.

The seat lever was flipped and Matt felt a small thrill as they fell further back; the headrest hitting the backseat behind them. He tugged off his gloves and tossed them aside and let his hands hesitantly run along the sides of Jack's body. He was lean, with skin the color of cream, and Matt supposed he really shouldn't mind this, because if he closed his eyes he could pretend that the blue eyed, dark haired man named Jack was actually a blue eyed, blond haired Mafiya boss named Mello.

And suddenly the vehicle was warm, hot even, and his exposed skin tingled. He spread his legs and let Jack settle between them and allowed himself to fall into the illusion he'd created. Hot kisses bruised his lips, nails scratched at his hips, and a hardness filled him to the point of tearing, but he enjoyed every sensation.

He held on tightly to Jack, crushing him closer, and let himself be fucked into the seat. His breaths were uneven, when he could find the time to break away from the kisses long enough to gasp for air before falling under again, and he couldn't seem to keep rhythm with Jack, but couldn't seem to form thoughts long enough to care too much.

It was skin on skin, hot and sweaty and disgustingly slick and so damn _good _that Matt knew he could only regret it later. But the lips on his lips and the fingers pressing into his hip and the hand on his erection were enough to distract him.

The motions were quick, jerky even. It was rough and dirty. The thrusts sharp and painful and hitting his prostate so hard that he was seeing stars even after he had gasped and spurted his semen onto the both of them.

He was dimly aware that Jack took another minute to get himself off, but simply didn't care until they were both in a tangled heap of limbs and flesh and heaving chests. And then, as the sweat began to cool on his flesh, and the feeling of Jack's warm body pressed against him and the soft kisses being planted at his neck registered, everything became 'wrong'.

And he hated himself for allowing it to happen again. But couldn't blame anyone or anything other than himself this time.

Jack nuzzled his neck but must have felt him stiffen as he planted one last kiss to Matt's neck before climbing off of him and back into the drivers seat where he began to dress himself. Matt laid there, awkwardly, for a few more seconds, naked and exposed, before sitting up to find his own things.

And once he was carefully encased back in his clothing, and only then, did he glance over at Jack, who held a soft smile. Matt felt his chest clench painfully. He needed to leave. "Thanks for everything Jack." he told him, and he meant it.

He leaned over and kissed the man, seeing the surprise in those blue eyes as they widened, and allowed it to deepen only slightly before he pulled away. "Goodbye." he told Jack and then he was out of the car and around the corner before he could even blink. Goodbye, because he would never meet with him in person again.

**-End **_**Sixth**_**-**

**AN**: I said 'action' I never said what type XD

I so LOVED writing this chapter, you have NO IDEA how much. DioblicaJeevas knows that the last like 2,000 words wasn't planned (mainly because I like to spam people with useless information)

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Living in a fantasy, Chasing, slayers64, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, Bedessica, schoolkid, Diamone, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, critter141151, Miname Shiranai, JJ

Review the smex?


	17. Chapter 14: Hack

**Disclaimer**: I don't own death note

**AN**: Um yeah...so this chapter is like 6,001 but as usual FFN says its 4 something. Fkers.

OK, anyway... so time for a new contest! The **250th **reviewer get a choice of me answering any question they can think of about this (or any of my upcoming fics featured on my profile) or a oneshot. The winner will either be contacted via PM, or in the case they aren't signed in I will inform them in the AN of the next chapter.

In the event they don't respond by the time I'm ready to post the next chapter the person who reviewed after them will be declared the winner. Ok? Have fun until then XD

**Suggested Listening**: Don't Think I Love You **by** Hoobastank

**Chapter Fourteen**: _Hack _

Matt sighed as he finally stood back in front of their apartment door. He shifted slightly and honestly hoped that for once, at least for once in the past few days, that luck would be on his side and the two inside wouldn't look too closely at him.

He had bag full of new shirts, a few pairs of boxers he'd found, more games for himself and even chocolate and a few decks of cards; but he was disheveled. Noticeably so.

He had tried to fix his appearance, long before he had even thought of going to shop after his... encounter... with Jack; but no matter what he did to his hair it just didn't want to fall the right way and his lips were bruised and his clothes impossibly rumpled and he, at least in his mind, reeked of sex.

He had had to go shopping with the feeling of cum dripping from his orifice and the stale smell of sweat that clung to him and the almost overwhelming dry itch that clawed at his skin. And damn if he hadn't wished he hadn't let it go that far... he hadn't even gotten his energy drinks as he was far too tired to go to another store.

The only good thing, so far, was that he was back before eleven.

He winced as the lock opened with a loud click, loud to him at any rate, and he stepped inside quietly after punching in the code to the security system. But to his disappointment both Mello and Near were still in the main room. And both of them glanced at him the second the door had fully opened.

The lighting in the room was good, as Mello preferred the florescent white bulbs to those dim normal yellow tinted ones that hurt ones eyes after a while. He couldn't help but feel as though he had just walked in there naked.

Thank god I haven't, Matt thought. He knew he had bruises on his body and probably the dark markings of hickeys on his neck and god knew where else. The plastic in his hand crinkled sharply as he clenched his fists tighter.

"What the hell took you so goddamn long? Did you buy the entire store?" Mello hissed, eyes narrowed and dangerous. Matt refused to acknowledge the way his body had twitched as those poisonous eyes were directed at him.

"I told you it was a while away. And shopping takes time. I didn't only get games. Your chocolate is in one of these bags, something for you too Near." he dumped most of the bags onto the floor and while Mello was momentarily, and far too quickly, distracted by the mention of chocolate, he slipped from the room and took the one bag he'd kept into the bathroom with him.

He had bought a new pair of jeans, a blue and black striped shirt and a pair of Zelda boxers. He had thoughtfully shoved them all together into one bag so he could get on with his shower the second he had gotten home. Because there was no way he was doing anything else until then.

Matt didn't care if it seemed a little odd for him to shower twice in one day but he wanted to be clean; it also reminded him he needed to change his bedding. He was certain he had another set somewhere in his closet for times when he washed the other ones...

He made sure to lock the door behind himself and quickly disposed of his current clothing, ignoring the large mirror off to the right as he placed his goggles there, and stepped into the shower before he had even turned the water on. When he did, it burned him.

Matt sighed softly, mostly through his mouth, as he distantly concentrated on washing himself.

He had really messed up. He shouldn't have had sex with Jack again. It had been a mistake, a drunken mistake, the first time and he knew better. He honestly did. He shook his head slightly; he didn't have time to berate himself on something like that, he really didn't.

The deed, as it were, was already done and washing down the drain, he thought rather morosely, so he needed to move on. It wasn't as though he hadn't enjoyed it while it was happening...

He paused his thoughts there and stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled himself dry before he replaced his goggles so that he might actually be able to see. He shoved his soiled clothing into the plastic bag and made a note to do wash again in the morning. It _needed_ to be done.

He crept from the bathroom and into his room, though he had no doubt he had been seen, and deposited the entire bag, his vest included, into the laundry basket. He had something to look over, to see if he could find anything else on L now that he knew what to look for, but first he had to deal with the bags he'd left in the main room.

Near looked up first and regarded him for a quick moment before he moved a playing card between his fingers and quirked his lip. Near was happy and Matt knew that it had been a good idea to get him something.

Mello on the other hand had a rather strange expression on his face as he simply _stared_ at Matt for a few awkward seconds before the blond seemingly had to tear his gaze away. He tentatively nibbled at the chocolate by his mouth, a frown forming on his lips.

Matt blinked. Well that was odd.

But he didn't question it and simply meandered over to the door where the bags lay half opened, the one where the playing cards had been was neatly placed against the wall whilst the one where the chocolate had been in had his clothes and games half on the floor. Matt rolled his eyes.

He winced slightly as he knelt down and shoved everything back inside the bags. He felt Mello's gaze on him again and couldn't help but wonder at it. Especially as Mello hadn't yelled at him for anything else, which he was sure the blond would have found something else to nit pick over.

Matt usually didn't mind too much though.

But when the blond was silent, when he generally wasn't, it was weird. And made Matt suspicious.

He shook the thoughts off as he picked up the bags, and grabbed his laptop, which had taken him directly across the room with Mello's eyes following him; he quickly made his way into the solitude of his room.

And as Matt shut the door to his room it dawned on him. He had nothing covering his neck. And either Mello was obscenely naive enough to think it was a simple bruise from a fight or something, or he had realized they were hickeys.

Matt groaned softly.

He thought then, perhaps, he should just go to bed and hope the morning would be better. Maybe he would be inviting more bad luck to look up L at the moment, with everything else going wrong.

As if to prove his point the laptop beeped, though he was certain he'd turned it off before he'd left, and continued to beep to alert him that there was a possible threat to the computer. He sighed heavily and snapped open the lid and moved into his virus protection software and found that something had seeped through the wireless network and had gotten caught in his protection nets.

Whatever it was, was malicious.

Matt narrowed his eyes at the program and made sure it stayed quarantined as he checked on the laptop to see what, if any, damage had been done. Thankfully it seemed that it was made using a base program that his security recognized so it had been caught mere seconds after it had entered the laptop.

It had been searching for bank accounts and passwords. It was a good virus, but not nearly good enough to get anything from his system. Though he made sure to have all his specialty protection programs running just in case; it had just not been a good day.

He made sure the virus had been deleted, completely, before he opened his e-mail. It had been on his list of things to do before he slept but the virus had forced him into doing it earlier.

Matt wrote a quick e-mail to Near explaining what Jack had told him, and asked him to send a reply back should he decide to search anything before he got up so that they didn't end up wasting time on the same things.

He made sure it was sent, as sometimes the damn messages didn't go through, before he shut the machine off and placed the laptop on his bedside table as he turned to the mess that was his bed. With a sigh he pulled the covers off and dumped them into a heap on the floor.

He did the same with the sheets but stuffed them into the dirty laundry. He padded softly over to the closet and gently opened the door, which creaked ominously as he did so. When nothing fell out he opened it fully and narrowly dodged a falling book. "Fuck!" he swore and glared at the game guide that laid by his feet.

Seriously?

He childishly kicked the book under the bed and pulled out a slightly rumpled, but still mostly folded, pile of sheets and remade the bed. He stretched slightly, listening to the satisfying pop of his bones, before he removed his jeans and shirt, leaving him in only his boxers. He switched the light off and after removing his goggles, slid under the covers.

He closed his eyes and was just happy the day was over.

.

.

Matt woke to sunlight glaring in his eyes and he squinted in pain as he blindly searched for his goggles. He sighed in relief as his fingers brushed against the worn plastic and slipped them over his eyes. He would probably need to get a new pair soon; the lenses were fine for now, but he'd had the main frame for many years and he was slightly worried about the small crack that had recently appeared in the side.

He'd rather not have to go out and buy contacts or even worse, normal glasses, should those break. It was on his to do list, but things always seemed to get in the way. Mello type of things, that is.

Matt sat up and yawned but didn't roll back over and sleep like he wanted. He really needed to look over that L stuff, though he supposed he ought to check his e-mails first despite the fact that he doubted Near had gotten anything done the night before.

He booted up the laptop, that he had leaned across the bed to grab off the nightstand, and yawned again as he pulled open his e-mail. He had two e-mails. One of them was from Near the other... he wasn't going to deal with right then.

Near's e-mail mainly consisted of a list of places to start the search. Matt grinned. Near definitely hadn't done anything further than mention them, but that didn't bother Matt. If Near felt those were good starting places then he would use them first, exhaust them, then move on should nothing of value be found. Though Matt knew those would have been his first choices… well maybe not the last one.

His stomach growled but he merely rubbed it until it stilled. He didn't have time for food at the moment. Or rather he didn't feel the need to put forth the effort. That and he wasn't quite sure he really wanted anything despite his stomachs protests.

Matt figured that he had procrastinated enough and slid from the bed and redressed himself, though he decided there was nothing he could wear to cover the hickeys... not that both Mello and Near hadn't seen them the night before... and took the laptop as he exited the room and wandered into the main room only to find Mello still there; he was asleep on the couch in such a way that suggested he had been there the entire night.

Mello lay on his side, one arm left to dangle off the edge of the cushion, and his head was titled foreword so that his hair flopped across his eyes and nose leaving only his partially parted lips and chin exposed. It was rather... cute... in a way.

Matt crossed the room and gently set the laptop down on his desk before leaving for the kitchen. He rummaged through the cabinet as quietly as he could until he found the right container of coffee.

He poured an unmeasured amount into the maker and made sure there wasn't too much water in there before he shut the lid and turned it on. He didn't need to wait for it as he didn't drink that kind; where Mello had found those chocolate coffee beans he would probably never know.

He sat down at the desk and flipped open the laptops cover to view Near's message again as he had never closed it out. He took a few minutes to lazily set up all the programs he might need in his search but looked up at the soft sigh from the couch.

He watched as Mello's lips twitched as the smell of his chocolate coffee, that had begun to permeate the air, reached his senses. Matt stared on in amusement as the blond began to gradually stir into wakefulness.

Matt could see the impending disaster as Mello rolled foreword, presumably believing himself to be in his bed, only to roll over the edge of the couch and crash to the floor in a heap of tangled leather covered limbs and curses.

He looked on as Mello twisted on the floor and detangled himself after a few tries. Though he was surprised nothing had been injured with the way he'd fallen.

Matt couldn't hold in the laugh as Mello sat up, hair sticking out in all directions, and yawned. He managed to turn his laugh into a cough as the blond's eyes narrowed in his direction. Damn he was good entertainment sometimes.

Mello uncoiled his legs and managed to stand upright without much of an incident and stalk indignantly into the kitchen. It nearly sent Matt into a fit of laughter. He even thought he heard a quiet 'thanks Matt' from the kitchen, so he hoped some good luck was starting to take hold.

It damn well better after the mess he'd made of yesterday.

With his previous distraction now being distracted by coffee Matt set to work on the list Near had given him. He didn't start in order, but rather started with the ones most likely to have some sort of information hidden in their systems. He started with the Russian agencies as they were currently in that country. And though Jack hadn't stated it Matt believed England was one of the monetary detonators. Probably Italy as well.

He sighed as he hacked his way through the Russian government's agencies. There was nothing there. At least not about what he wanted; on a whim, as he was already there, he searched through their database about what they knew on the mob bosses there. He grinned. They had no information on Mello and one other; Matt wondered if Mello knew the other mystery guy, sadly it wouldn't surprise him if he did.

Other than that there was nothing useful, though he would do a more thorough search if nothing panned out from any of the countries. He was using his programs as a quick filter, using specific key words such as 'L' and 'Organized Crime' to do his search.

Matt had heard when Mello had walked back into the living room and had switched to one of his online games just before Mello had tossed something onto the desk as he stood off to the side. Matt merely blinked at the food.

"Eat something. I know you haven't made anything since I would have heard you. Thank you..." Mello trailed off and motioned to the cup in his hand but gave Matt a small smile.

Matt grinned back. He had no idea what it was that Mello had made him, probably one of his weird microwavable fruit filled freezer pastry things, but he took a bite anyway.

He was relieved when it was simply cherry inside rather than the apricot or peach he'd accidentally tried before. Those had been nasty. He gave a thumbs up and Mello rolled his eyes before he wandered off to the couch with his coffee, though it had seemed to Matt that Mello hadn't really been looking at him as more of something _on_ him... like the something on his neck.

Matt withheld a sigh and took another bite of the hot pastry. Cherry wasn't bad but he didn't usually eat it. But Mello had taken the time to make it... granted he had probably only had to shove it in the microwave for two minutes but it was the thought that counted right?

And how many people could say that Mello had at least attempted to be nice to them? Probably no one other than himself or Near. That or they were long dead...

He moved onto the next set of agencies, as he was assured Mello would be occupied for a while at the least, to look for any hint at what Jack had told him. And while he hadn't exactly found a giant blinking sign that said _'L is working for us w00t!_' or something along those lines, after around two hours of searching, he had found vague memos and random mentions of a 'large movement' being started by an 'unnamed source'.

If that 'unknown source' wasn't L than Matt decided he would eat his games.

And though he would still continue to search to see if something else couldn't be found, though he somehow doubted it, he decided to simply send what he had to Near. It was always better to have two sets of eyes on something rather than one. He and Near had always worked rather well together.

He didn't want to chance his odd streak off good luck so he knew he would either continue the search later on in the day or tomorrow. If, by the odd chance, that they had noticed something odd with their systems, in one or more of the agencies, he would be better off waiting until the chance of himself getting caught had gone down. Not that he thought he would. But he needed to be careful as the information was about L.

Once that e-mail had been sent, though he did wonder if Near was sleeping again as he only seemed to take naps rather than actually rest, he hesitated before clicking on his inbox. He sighed softly before he clicked on the only unread message he had.

His eyes scanned the text quickly and he had to read it again, twice, before he pushed his goggles up to the top of his head so that he could rub at his eyes as he frowned. "Fuck..." he muttered and was painfully aware that he had caught Mello's attention.

He definitely would have regretted sleeping with Jack again after this, if he hadn't already. "Having a problem Matt?" Mello questioned him. He started a bit and quickly replaced his goggles making Mello narrow his eyes.

Oh great idea Matt, make Mello suspicious of you, he thought to himself.

"Just the site freezing up so I lost all my progress.." he mumbled though he wouldn't have believed himself, so he hardly expected Mello to do so either. Mello's gaze flickered down from his face and it appeared that he would say something a soft shuffling came from behind him and Matt knew that Near was up.

He sent out a silent thank you to the albino as Mello had gone back to glaring at his coffee. He felt sort of bad that he was acting like that with Mello, but it couldn't be helped. It wasn't something he wanted to discuss with Mello... something that Mello _couldn't_ know. He and Near would be in a massive amount of trouble should Mello find out they were helping him behind his back, or doing anything the blond deemed as dangerous, which was rather rich coming from a Mafiya boss. But that was Mello for you.

"Afternoon Near." he said a little weakly after he had glanced at the clock. He had been up for a while now. Though it hadn't really seemed it.

He didn't bother to mention to Near the e-mail he'd sent, as Mello was there and it would seem suspicious for him not to just tell Near what the e-mail was about now that he was up. Near would find it whenever he looked at his laptop.

Mello sighed heavily and left the room, back to the kitchen Matt presumed, and he hadn't needed the sigh to know the blond was irritated. But Mello would just have to deal with it now wouldn't he? There were just things he were better off not knowing.. that and things he had no right knowing.

Matt made sure that there was no trace left on the computer, or otherwise, of any of his important e-mails, and then exited out of the browser. He had forgotten that he needed to do laundry again.

He hoped it wouldn't seem too odd that he needed his sheets and a pair of clothing done. At the worst he supposed it would either look like he had had a wet dream or something. Not quite the truth but he didn't really care.

He left the main room just as Mello was inching his way out of the kitchen, head down and staring intently at the chocolate coffee that he stirred. There was no doubt in Matt's mind that he was still annoyed.

Matt grabbed the laundry basket and made his way into the laundry room again. At least none of his things would end up pink this time. That was a plus, right?

He shoved the load into the washer and set it to 'soiled' simply because he felt just the slightest bit bitter about the entire thing, and emptied the last of the detergent into the holder while he made a note to buy more the next time he went out.

When he had made it back to the main room Mello was seated, rather hastily, at his laptop and appeared to be searching for what he'd last been doing. Which wouldn't have worked since there was no way he would have gotten into his e-mail anyway. That and he had about ten different tabs open each time the Internet browser was up. So unless Mello wasn't in a mood to take things at face value, as all but a few tabs were gaming sites, he would find nothing.

Near caught his eye but Matt shrugged. He wasn't worried about what Mello may or may not find. He walked over to the desk and picked up the plate with the mostly eaten cherry pastry, startling Mello in the process, and headed into the kitchen to dispose of it. It served Mello right that he had gotten caught, not that he had gotten anywhere from the quick glance Matt had of the screen.

It was around lunch time, late lunch, and Matt wondered if he should attempt to make something for all of them. He was slightly bored, as with Mello around he either needed his games as stress relief or got to distracted to play them efficiently anyway, and didn't really have anything more to do for the day.

Well work related at any rate.

Matt rolled his shoulders to ease some tension and lazily scanned the contents of the cabinets. There wasn't much in the area of quick dishes, as he might have been bored but he didn't want to wait on the food unless he _had _to.

He could make that weird casserole thing Mello had picked up one day, but it was more of a dinner than anything...

Matt was about to just say fuck it and have everyone fend for themselves when he checked the fridge. He saw the eggs and the instant bacon and immediately felt like a bagel sandwich. The more he thought on it the more appealing it sounded.

Just to be sure, though he thought he had seen some while searching, he looked for a bag of bagels, and pulled them into view once found. He took the eggs and bacon, as well as some cheese, out and set it on the counter.

He got the pan out and turned the burner on while he melted a pad of butter in the pan. He popped the remains of the bacon in the microwave and set it for a minute. He hadn't looked at the directions to see the time but it was either one or two minutes. Better to have less time than to burn it or dry it out.

Matt knew Near would probably only eat a small amount of his food, as he ate like a bird, so he only made one egg for him whilst making two for himself and Mello. While they started to fry up he quickly popped the bagel slices into the toaster.

Near wouldn't care one way or the other but Mello _hated _anything toasted with the exception of pastries.

He flipped the eggs over and nodded with satisfaction as none of them broke. He wasn't a great cook but he could at least manage eggs, that was something wasn't it?

The microwave went off and he ended up putting it on for another 30 seconds as he wandered off to find the paper plates. He had enough dishes to do after this as it were. He may generally be rather lazy when it came to certain things, but Mello would complain if they weren't done after he'd made the mess.

He had just enough time to add the cheese onto the bagels, his beginning to melt almost instantly as it was fresh from the toaster, and take the bacon from the microwave before the eggs were done.

With the burner shut off and the sandwiches put together on their separate plates he stalked out of the kitchen with his and Near's. He noticed that Mello was no longer at his computer so he set his sandwich by the laptop and handed the other to Near.

"I don't expect you to eat it all so just toss what you don't want." he told Near. He paused for a moment, at the slightly offended expression Mello wore and when he thought on it, it probably seemed as though he were being snubbed. Making himself and Near food while ignoring the blond.

Matt rolled his eyes. Mello may irritate him from time to time but he was still his _friend_, whether Mello acted like it or not. He should know he wouldn't forget him.

With a small shake of his head he headed back into the kitchen and grabbed the last plate, after he'd placed the dirty pan and bacon dish into the sink, and quietly walked back out into the main room, where Near had started to nibble on the end of his sandwich.

He stopped just behind Mello and leaned over the couch to place the plate in his lap and smirked at the slight jump he was given in response. He walked away as Mello had started to look up at him.

He schooled his expression into its normal blank one and set in on his own food. Out of the corner of his eyes he thought he saw Mello smile as he picked up his food. Things would always be that way between them, he decided.

A series of awkward fights and just as awkward half apologies. But Matt was alright with it, for the most part.

They ate in silence and Matt was the last to finish as he got distracted by random amusing news articles online. Neither Near or Mello had their paper plates so he figured Mello must have gotten them when he'd finished.

He tossed his paper dish and eyed the sink with slight surprise before a small grin curled his lips. Mello had done the dishes for him. He wasn't about to complain.

He grinned at Mello as he sat down and Mello shrugged a shoulder before he returned his attention to the television which was amusedly playing some mafia drama, that Mello rolled his eyes and made rude comments about every five seconds.

Really, the TV shows were nothing like what Matt had seen of the real thing.

He settled down, simply browsing the web, for a short while, just long enough to entertain himself, somewhat, before he had to place his clothes in the dryer. Once that was done he could forget about his clothes until later. Assuming they had dried completely...

Matt was completely bored by that time and decided to look for new games online, mainly something he could shoot in; he blamed what Mello was watching for that sudden urge.

He had no idea how long he searched before he found something suitable, and downloaded it.

He placed his headphones on low and started the game. The graphics weren't bad, not at all. And then he was lost in a world of darkness, guns and blood.

A while later a shrill ring snapped Matt out of his daze and he pulled his headphones from his ears. Matt watched, his eyes straining as they stared at the blond though his head had stayed in the same down position at the computer, as Mello answered his phone with a scowl. His conversation was too low for him to hear from were he was, though he had no doubt that Near was able to hear it perfectly.

Mello growled something into the speaker before snapping it shut and heaving himself off the couch, his leather creaking slightly from the quick and forceful movement. He whirled into his bedroom at a brusque pace while Matt caught bits and pieces of his angry muttering. Something about 'the fucking idiots that work for me' though it had been in the form of several different languages, two of which he did not speak fluently, so he may have gotten it wrong.

At around five-thirty, nearly two minutes after the call, Mello was decked out in his usual attire and after grabbing his keys had stormed out of the apartment with a slam of the door. Matt sighed, it was definitely work related then.

He had to smirk a little in amusement though, as Near immediately moved into the middle of the couch to partially take up the space Mello had vacated; mainly so that he was able to stretch his leg out further to his side to ease the discomfort of sitting on such a lumpy and uneven surface.

He had always wondered why Near never used any of the Mafiya's connections to see if something could be done about his hip, though at Wammys they'd had the best of everything so it was possible there was nothing that could be done about it.

Matt let his focus drift back to his game and was lost in a battle of zombie killing before, not even a half hour later, his phone went off and fell off the counter from the movements and onto his lap. He nearly yelped at the sudden almost pleasant feelings the vibrations had caused.

He immediately removed the offending phone off his lap and looked at Near, who had glanced over, with a grin. "Mello is making me vibrate." to which Near sighed softly and tilted his head to the side. Matt felt it was a victory.

"Hello?" he asked blandly, as he already knew who it was, and knew it would most likely irritate him.

"Matt, I need you to bring me some things, I left them on my bed. Meet me around the corner from the base." Mello told him before he hung up. He didn't even wait long enough to see if he would be able to come, or would even want to.

Though he supposed it wasn't as though Mello would be able to come all the way back if he was in the middle of something, and Near couldn't drive.. Matt sighed heavily and exited his game.

On the upside, it gave him an excuse to go to the store while he was out. Hello new energy drinks.

He shuffled into Mello's bedroom and rose an eyebrow at the tornado like destruction that had been inflicted upon it. Something big must have happened if Mello had left his room in that state.

The only oddity was the neat stack of papers that were paper-clipped together that sat innocuously untouched on the blond's bed. Those were it then. Matt grabbed them and after shoving his vest and shoes on, and calling out to Near that Mello needed some shit he had forgotten, left the apartment.

He dumped the packet unceremoniously into the passenger seat of his car and lazily drove toward the base. If he remembered correctly it would take about forty minutes to get there, which meant that Mello had realized he had forgotten them before he had even gotten there.

The drive was boring, nothing much scenery wise, and he found his attention drifting to every little thing until he neared the base. He instantly spotted the shock of blond hair against the darkening sky, that and the motorbike that Mello was leaning against.

He rolled to a stop a few feet away and snatched the papers as he got out of the car. Mello greeted him with an irritated smirk, though he doubted that the irritation was directed at himself.

"You should get out more; you're starting to look as pale as Near." Mello told him as his smirk faded into a smile. Matt raised an eyebrow, he doubted anyone could be as pale as Near.

"You should smile more, it makes you look younger." he told the blond though his cheeks heated up. He hadn't meant to actually say that… Mello's eyes had widened with a small amount of surprise and Matt knew it was time to leave.

"See you when you get back Mello." he called over his shoulder and slid back into the drivers seat. He roared the engine and didn't spare another glance at Mello as he drove off.

He shook his head. Honestly what the hell had caused him to say that. It was true, but he didn't generally tell Mello those things.

His vest pocket vibrated and he pulled it out to see that he had a new text message.

_'Don't fucking get yourself killed while speeding. Or pulled over! Thanks for the paperwork... see you later.' _Matt grinned. Thanks for the paperwork? Sure Mello, whatever you say, he thought.

As he turned his music up louder he stepped on the gas he thought that, perhaps the day hadn't turned out quite that bad.

_**-End Hack-**_

**AN: **And yes i realize Mello said thank you twice. But the first time (and though i can't explain it as it's not mello's perspective) he hadn't meant for Matt to hear him. :)

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Chaotica Keehl, Bedessica, Zozabelle, Sisyphean Effort, critter141151, Chasing, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, Living in a fantasy, Slayers64, Zellicy, schoolkid, chiakaiyuki, LullabyDust, JJ, Diamone, Beyond'sWaraNingyo

**REviEW**?


	18. Chapter 15: Theory

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note.

**AN:** Ok, so here's the deal. If I get 14 reviews I'll update early otherwise it's the week wait. I'm only doing this as I want to get to chapter 17 quickly… for no reason *innocent grin*

**Suggested Listening**: Tears in Vegas **by** Cinema Bizarre

**Chapter Fifteen**:_ Theory _

Tires screeched as he slowed to a sudden stop in the parking lot of some no name gas station near the base. He might as well enjoy his ride home, as he was still in a good mood, so he knew he should get the shopping done before something turned his mood sour.

He sighed, not really wanting to go, but knew it was a good excuse to get his drinks. His boots clunked on the ground as he walked lazily to the entrance and rolled his eyes at the annoying chime that echoed as he stepped inside. The cashier eyed him wearily but Matt paid her no mind.

He made his way to the non food section to see if they had any detergent; all they needed was something to last until he actually went shopping. Whenever that might be...

He found a random brand, and after making sure it was the hypoallergenic kind, took it with him as he meandered into the back where the cold drinks were. He grinned and grabbed a pack of energy drinks, a brand he always wanted to try but had always been too hooked on his other ones to do so before.

He also grabbed another non-refrigerated pack and headed up to the front. He passed through the snack aisle, a rather small aisle compared to the other ones, which in his mind didn't quite make sense, and grabbed things randomly off the shelf. Dinner was served.

He dumped the items onto the counter and didn't even blink at the price that came up. He paid using credit, knowing damn well none of the money was his so he didn't care how much was spent, and waited for the woman to bag his things.

With that hassle out of the way he tossed the bags into the backseat, save for the four-pack of cold drinks, and hit the roads again. He popped the tab and took a large swig of the energy drink and blinked at the slight fruity flavor. It didn't taste bad but it would take some getting used to. Whatever, a drink was a drink.

He stepped on the gas, cranked up the music and lit a cigarette. Too bad the drive wouldn't be long, with how fast he was going, he was actually enjoying himself. That though, should have been a warning that something would off set the mood.

Matt made it into the apartment with little trouble, other than almost setting the security off... and deposited his drinks into the farthest corner of the stand up cabinet, the spot Mello never usually looked as his chocolate was never placed there, and put the rest of the stuff on the table.

He remembered that he needed to get his laundry out, so after he'd kicked his boots off into a corner he padded over to the laundry room. His clothes were mostly dry, the ones not quite being done were his jeans as the sheets had sucked all the warmth from everything else, and he had almost made it out of the room when Near appeared in front of him.

The albino appeared slightly uncomfortable and Matt knew he was not going to like the upcoming conversation, no matter the subject. "Matt has been acting strangely since he got back from the meeting..." Near trailed off, fingers pulling gently on a curl of soft white hair, his large eyes fixated on Matt. Matt couldn't decide if the picture was cute or really fucking creepy.

Whatever he decided on, he was unprepared for Near's next statement.

"Matt was using his body for informational gains."

Matt stared at Near for a moment, heat radiating from his face, as he tried to formulate a response. He decided on something not quite as serious as it probably should have been. But Near had brought it up so it was his own fault.

"No, 'Matt' was using his body for sexual gratification." Near didn't quite appear to believe him so he continued. "I got the information for free. It was my own stupidity that lead us to having sex. I started it." he finished softly with a lopsided grin.

Near seemed to puzzle over his words for a moment before hesitantly nodding. "Then I apologize for assuming in correctly."

"Don't worry about it Near, it looked pretty suspicious, even I know that. At least you paid attention. If it weren't for the fucking mark on my neck Mello wouldn't have even noticed." Matt gave Near a shrug and continued on out of the room.

Well that had been _awkward_, Matt thought to himself.

_Really_ fucking _awkward_.

He really hadn't wanted either of them to know anything about the incident, or should he say incident number two?, but it was his own fault. He wouldn't dwell on it any further, unless Mello felt up to interrogating him too.

Oh God he hoped not...

Though at least Near hadn't pressed him for details, or anything else on the matter. Near was only worried, and Matt could understand that. Near took the facts he had on hand and formulated a conclusion, a puzzle with pieces missing.

And as Matt looked back on the last day and a half he winced. He looked _really_ fucking suspicious... if Near had come to_ that _conclusion, what one had Mello come to? Or perhaps... he didn't want to know.

It was late, Matt registered, as he found himself back in the kitchen. Late enough where he was hungry. And though he knew he should eat more than potato chips and packaged donuts with a side of cigarettes and energy drinks but... he was simply too lazy.

That, and Mello wasn't there to stop him. Old habits die hard, without motivation, as it were.

He grinned despite the slightly morose thought, and stuffed a chocolate covered donut in his mouth. It was almost too sugary, and there were two more of the kind in the box of twelve, but it was edible.

He almost thought about saving the others for Mello, but they would have probably gone bad by the time he got back. Probably would have grown mold on them by then too. Looking all green with white fuzz...

Matt shook his head. His thoughts were straying into very weird areas...

He stuffed the remainder of the donut into his mouth and grabbed his junk food and moved into the main room where he proceeded to sit on the couch and lazily flip through the television channels until he landed on some music station, simply so there would be background noise other than whatever crappy sitcom was playing, before going to the guide.

Near joined him a few minutes later, sitting on the floor by his feet; Matt almost likened it to a how a dog or perhaps a cat, with how _social_ Near could be, would sit with their owners. Matt shook his head of the thought and finally chose some animated movie called 'Perfect Blue'.

It was subtitled in English with the spoken language being Japanese. The basic plotline was that some chick went crazy when a pop idol turned actress; and then some guy began to stalk the actress and they both tried to kill her. Or at least that was what he had gotten out of it. The movie had been confusing...

Matt had eaten his way through six donuts and a bag of chips in that time as well as consumed two of his energy drinks, he did have to ration himself until he went normal shopping. What he really wanted was coffee... but it was always easier to simply pop a tab then to get off his lazy ass and wait for the coffee to brew and to fix it to his desired state.

And Matt liked being lazy unless he had to be otherwise.

He tore open a bag of some sort of pretzel mix, with God knew what else thrown in with the salty stix, and held it in front of Near and was surprised by the pale hand that actually reached inside to grab a handful. He hadn't expected the albino to actually eat something and couldn't help the grin that stretched his lips thin.

"How is it?" he asked, not even knowing what flavor he had gotten.

"Salty and a little bitter but edible..." Near replied as he softly nibbled on a pretzel. Matt shook his head.

"Perhaps there is hope for you yet." he thought Near might have sighed softly but he could have imagined it. He still held his grin even as the end credits rolled to a stop and it previewed some stupid movie as the next one up.

He moved back to the guide and promptly found another movie, he supposed somewhere in either horror or action category going by the description and leaned back further to watch it. It was in Russian with no subtitles but he wasn't bothered by it.

He ended up handing Near the mixed bag of pretzels and lit a cigarette. The movie was actually kind of awesome with the plot line, and of course the exploding body parts and what not.

The night was calm, and almost perfect in a way. Matt wished that Mello were there, doing absolutely nothing with them, instead of risking his life to lead his Mafiya... but he knew all to well that wishing got you nowhere fast.

He vaguely heard his computer beep, only once so it might have been an e-mail or pop-up, but ignored it as the movie had just gotten even more interesting. Had it been an emergency the laptop would have done more than just beep.

He finished off the donuts and the last energy drink, almost groaning at the too full feeling, and only stayed at the couch long enough to finish the movie before he moved over to the laptop. He knew that he would just continue to eat if he watched something and his poor stomach simply couldn't handle that at the moment.

He switched the laptop out of its half hibernation mode and noted the e-mail alert that had frozen to the side of the screen. He rolled is eyes and fixed the problem before opening said e-mail.

He stilled at the name in the inbox. One new e-mail, _Sender: Unknown_

He hesitated for a moment before he clicked the delete button. There would be no more contact between them. At all. No matter what information Jack might have. It would simply not be a good idea... for either of them.

And though he hadn't shown any outward reactions, he knew that Near had noticed something was off. It couldn't be helped, it was just how Near was. He was glad he wasn't hungry anymore because just the sight of the e-mail had been enough to kill his appetite. He really shouldn't have agreed to meet with him after the first time.

Matt sighed softly. It could have been worse, he reminded himself. It could have been much worse. He was lucky that Jack wasn't the type to truly press for something more. Or the type to demand _payment_ for the information.

He was lucky Jack considered him a friend or sorts.

Not many could say that about their contacts. Though Matt supposed he couldn't say it anymore either.

There were no more e-mails in his inbox so he closed out of it and opened the game he had been playing before Mello's call. Exploding zombies always put a smile to his face. And though he was enjoying himself, Matt had to concede to the fact that he was tired. He supposed unreasonably so after the four cans of energy drink he had consumed, but tired none-the-less.

He exited the game and made sure the sound on his laptop was up all the way as he carted it to his room after a soft goodnight to the albino who still sat, playing, in front of the television. He stripped and fell into bed after the lights were out. He sighed, inhaling the soft, clean scent of his sheets and closed his eyes.

.

Beeping was what woke him.

A loud beeping.

Matt hadn't set his alarm the night before, he rarely set it at all, so his sleep-tired mind struggled to find the cause as he sat up in bed. He yawned, rubbed at his eyes and suddenly looked in the direction of the laptop. It was out of its mini-hibernation with a 'warning' alert plastered across the screen.

Just another n00b attempting to hack Mello's system then. He sighed. Good morning Yekaterinburg...

He left the comfort of his bed and snatched the laptop and brought it back with him as he sat cross-legged on the crumpled blankets. The warning flickered on and off with the beeping and he wanted to snuff out the hackers life simply to get that annoying sound out of his mind.

Matt checked the clock and frowned. For fucks sake it was only five in the morning; it was too early for that shit. He was going to murder them.

They were going to cry after what he would do to them.

He set his sights on the hacker and instead of simply booting them from the system and essentially locking them out, he followed the trail back to the host computer. He grinned as he planted a virus in the system that would activate in exactly forty seconds. And when it activated it would wipe out everything they guy had.

It would make the blue screen of death look like a walk in the park on a warm sunny day.

Matt quickly checked what the hacker was attempting to get into, fifteen seconds, before he carefully shoved them out of Mello's system and locked them out with the firewalls from his laptop rather than Mello's custom ones.

Sorry Mello, he amended silently, but yours just don't cut it. Not even close.

He grinned widely as the countdown hit zero. He placed the laptop on the nightstand as he yanked on a pair of jeans. The virus should be infecting the host computer, corrupting and deleting all data, before it did a system shut down where it would eat away at everything. The beauty of it was that it would simply look like a forced shutdown and nothing more.

When the idiot turned the computer back on everything would look normal until they went to use the Internet, where the connection would have been severed and cut off, or checked their saved documents, which would no longer be there. Or looked in any of the main drives which would have been wiped clean.

Well that and it would leave the laptop virtually dead and unable to support hardly anything anymore, meaning that even should you try to fix it, it was doomed for failure. The CD Rom drive would be fried, so no way to use restorative disks, and with so little memory it wouldn't have held any of the backed up data, I they had any.

That hacker would regret the moment he even thought about breaking into Mello's systems. It was just bad luck that he had woken Matt up. He treasured what sleep he got so it was never appreciated when something, other than himself, woke him up.

Though something about the hack had struck him as odd, now that he thought about it. He pulled on a shirt and shook his hair out. The hacker had been attempting to gain access to a fairly normal, even by his standards, part of Mello's system rather than the largely restricted parts that others usually went for.

He yawned and wondered what they had been looking for, or if they had simply been in the wrong area. Matt decided he really didn't care. He was simply too tired.

Matt shuffled over to the kitchen where he started a pot of coffee. After it was set and started he pulled out an energy drink and chugged down half of it. He was not going to wait on the damn coffee. But he _would_ have both.

He checked the cabinet for something to eat and found he didn't like the choices. Matt decided that he would order the groceries online after he got his coffee. He would have to pay extra, well _someone_ would, but it meant everything would be ready for when he went to pick it up. That way he could go get the groceries without the actual shopping portion of the ordeal. He only did that sometimes as he couldn't always figure out what he wanted, or what they needed, until he saw it in the store.

But for today, at the very least, it suited his mood. He would probably end up lounging on the couch afterwards until he had to pick up the stuff. Perhaps even get some of his missing sleep back...

The coffee maker beeped and Matt drank down the remainder of the can, dropping it into the waste basket, as he procured a mug to drink out of. He didn't bother with sugar at the moment and simply poured crème into it until it was drinkable. He downed the cup and filled another with only a little crème and added sugar as well. He took that cup with him into the main room and left it on the table by the couch as he retrieved his laptop.

With everything he needed, minus the actual coffee pot, he opened up the stores site and began clicking on the items he wanted though he knew there would always be something he had forgotten. Drinking what few sips of the hot brewed liquid he could, without burning his mouth, he paid with a credit card and set the laptop on the floor.

Matt turned the television on and set it to a random music channel, one of the ones that were programmed that he could sleep to, from what he heard it was probably the rock station.

At least that way by the time Near got up, whenever that was, the extra noise wouldn't bother him in the least. He stared lazily at the screen for a while, the white block lettering floating around the black background, before he rolled over to face the couch.

.

Matt let out a large yawn and sat up, stretching. He spied Near seated on the floor a few feet away, a few decks of cards being set up into a card house quietly. "Good afternoon Matt." the small albino stated.

Matt shook his head with a smile and readjusted his goggles which had been knocked askew during sleep. He probably had lines on his face from where they had dug in, but he didn't mind too much. It couldn't be helped by then anyway.

As his mind was cleared of the fog of sleep it finally clicked that Near had said 'good afternoon' rather than good morning. He looked at the clock on the far side of the wall in surprise as it state three-thirty pm. He had slept for over eight hours on the couch. "Damn." he muttered and rubbed a hand over his face.

He had slept for far too long but he supposed it couldn't be helped, the time was already lost and he knew that had there have been a problem Near would have woken him immediately. As it was he should have left to pickup the groceries already as that particular store liked to close early on certain days of the week.

He staggered from the couch and shoved his boots on while he grabbed his keys and vest. "I'm picking up the groceries I ordered earlier, do you want anything Near?" he yelled across the room. He noticed Near's hand hesitate over a card for a moment.

"If Matt obtains something to eat while out would he perhaps bring something back as well?" Matt blinked at Near before he smirked. Near didn't usually want anything but he did have a craving for take-out every once and a while.

"Sure Near, any preferences?" he questioned but Near merely stayed silent and Matt knew the albino didn't care what was gotten so long as it was take-out. He was fine with that, he hadn't really felt like making something anyway. Perhaps he could find a pizza place of some kind?

He couldn't remember if there were any good places over by the grocers or not.

He started the engine the second he was in the car and didn't bother to strap in, he never did. It wasn't a long drive to the store, a mere twenty minutes as he didn't want it too close to the apartment, and it only took five minutes to pack up all the bags into the Camaro, filling the back and even the floor in the front.

There was stuff that would have melted, and or thawed out, had it been warm out, but it was in the depths of winter and frigidly cold out so Matt wasn't worried. He realized he probably should have brought his laptop with him, as he could have checked what stores were in the area, but hindsight was a wonderful thing, wasn't it?

Matt just hoped that it wasn't going to take a long time, he was kind of hungry...

But as he left the grocers and glanced around him, at the open places of business, he had no idea what he was looking for.

Great, just great.

**-End Theory- **

**AN: **Oh kami it seemed like I would never get this out (I seem to have issues with the chapters i'm not interested in... haha. It was _needed_ for a reason, but I want to get to the good stuff! *cry*)

Well that and i'm all emo over work... (it's 3/28/10 right now so all this drama crap is going down. Lol, that was a long time ago right?)

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Zozabelle, Pika Pants, MsMattJeevas, Miname Shiranai, Slayers64, Living in a fantasy, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, Zellicy, critter141151, monochrome1994, JJ, Diamone

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	19. Chapter 16: Zero

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note.

**AN**: ok I didn't get 14 reviews, I got 13, but what ever I wanted to post XD. (though I'm lucky I even got this out as I was having technical difficulties earlier….)

**Suggested Listening**: Collect Call **by** Metric

**Chapter Sixteen**: _Zero _

However long later Matt finally stopped at a slightly run down looking building advertising pizza. Now, having never had pizza there before he didn't know what to expect. So he was rather surprised by the scenery change on the inside.

It went from grimy and more than slightly dirty on the outside to more than presentable inside. They must not clean the outside at all then, Matt thought. That or they did a really shoddy job of it in order to keep the inside as clean as it was.

The place wasn't new, by any means, with the cracks in the floor and the slightly pealed wallpaper, but it was _clean_. Better than he could say for other places he'd been, even in other countries.

Matt was sold.

He politely, as politely as _he_ could manage to sound, ordered a large and small pizza of very different tastes. The small was a simple cheese pizza, as he knew Near didn't like additives and the ones he did Matt wouldn't eat and didn't want anywhere _near _the pizza; honestly _fish_ on a fucking _pizza_, what the hell...?

And the large was some form of meat lovers or whatever. Basically every meat imaginable, that they sold there, on the pizza in a nice greasy mess.

He paid and was told the wait would be ten minutes. He supposed that wasn't bad. He sat himself in the corner of the room and stared at the pictures on the wall, mainly well known places in Russia or scenery from the city itself.

The wait seemed longer than ten minutes, mostly due to the fact that there wasn't anything to distract his mind, and he found himself staring blankly at the small refrigerator that held soda because he was bored and tired of looking at the pictures.

His order was called, and for no other reason than it had caused a craving in him, he grabbed a few random flavors of soda, a brand he had never seen before, and paid for those as he collected the pizzas. With the pricing of everything there Matt was happy it wasn't his money he was using. Ahh the beauty of being a hacker.

He placed the pizzas and sodas on the front seat, after adjusting the other bags, and began the drive back to the apartment. It was strange, he suddenly thought, that he didn't consider it home, simply 'the apartment'.

He wondered at that...

Matt turned his music up loud and attempted to drown out his own thoughts, because they had started to drift down a path he needed a lot more sugar in his system to deal with.

He supposed that was the problem with such a mind as his, it was constantly moving and was hard to shut off or derail. It led to some rather depressing times in the past few years. But short of giving himself a lobotomy there was nothing he could do except try distraction tactics.

Matt lit a cigarette and snorted suddenly. The thought of what Mello would do to him for even entertaining the thought of destroying his mind was enough to lighten his mood slightly. Though he knew that such thoughts should _not_ have been amusing to him.

He parked the car and sighed at the sight of the amount of bags he had to carry up to their place. Blowing smoke from his nostrils he started with the pizzas, soda bag, and whatever else he could carry from the front.

Matt almost missed punching in the alarm code as his arms were weighed down; he probably should have placed a few bags on the floor but that required effort to pick them back up. And at the moment all he wanted to do was eat some pizza and sit on his ass.

"Near pizza is on the kitchen counter." he shouted into the apartment before he was out and jogging back down to the car for the next load; it took three trips total to get everything inside, and Mello would have murdered Matt had he learned he'd left the alarm system off simply to make things easier for himself.

Near hadn't gotten up until Matt was leaning against the counter, smoking his cigarette, and practically breathless. That was what he got for not exercising. Ever.

What could he say? He was a computer geek, not an athlete; excuse him for getting short of breath. He would so get eaten by zombies in an apocalypse...

Near stood on shakily legs and wobbled, with a slight limp, over to Matt and peered at him with his dark eye. Matt noted how the eye patch was too far off to the side, hardly covering the hole where Near's other eye should have been, so he reached over and fixed it.

It showed just how much the albino trusted him as he had stayed still during the entire process, not even flinching, though he had watched intently with his remaining eye transfixed on Matt's hands.

He couldn't blame Near. It was his blind spot, literally, and it was a weakness that Near had learned to be weary of, especially with the Mafiya so close to them. Not that Mello would let them anywhere near them.

He moved off to the large pizza, after setting the smaller one aside for Near who he knew wouldn't eat but maybe two slices, and decided to simply take the box, and two sodas, with him to the couch, and set his things on the table. Though he didn't immediately eat.

No, before he could even think of eating, not that he wasn't hungry, he had to put away all the groceries. There were a lot of them that needed to be refrigerated and would have gone bad had he left them out much longer.

He didn't worry about organizing anything, as he could do that another day, just getting everything out of their bags and onto the shelves. And once he was done, some ten odd minutes later, he settled down on the couch with his feet propped up on the table, balanced the pizza on his legs and turned the TV on.

Matt wasn't sure why he suddenly was spending all of his time watching TV when he had never really done so before. Maybe he was simply... bored. Of everything...

He found some random horror/comedy to watch and as he bit into his first slice Near seated himself on the other end of the couch with two slices on a plate. He grinned at the albino who merely titled his head slightly to the side. Matt shrugged and went back to the movie, though his thoughts weren't actually on it.

Matt knew he wouldn't be content to simply sit there and stay mindless, and he wondered if he should continue looking for information once he was full. It wasn't anything thrilling, per say, but it was better than _this_. Wasn't it?

He had made it through his fifth slice, mouth full of pizza crust, when his phone rang. He sighed and set the pizza on the table, Near still nibbling on his second piece to his right, and walked slowly over to the offending noise.

He had taken it off of vibrate earlier and hadn't put it back on. He supposed it was a good thing or he might not have heard it at all with the movie on so loud. "Hello?" he asked, though he knew it would be Mello.

Though it was unusual for the blond to call unless he needed something, though Matt was certain Mello hadn't forgotten anything else, he would have told Matt to bring it along with the papers.

"Matt, are you and Near in the apartment?" Matt blinked at the strange question and answered affirmatively. "Good. That's all I needed to know." and suddenly Mello was gone, just as quickly as he had called.

Matt pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it incredulously for a moment before he shook his head. Mello calling, and asking that weird question, left him with an odd feeling. But it was probably Mello simply being his normal paranoid self; although even when he had arms deals and what not going down he didn't usually call. But Matt figured it was a one time thing so he simply let it go for the moment.

Mainly because he didn't want to drive himself crazy with all the possibilities it _could _be.

He looked forlornly at the pizza sitting precariously on the edge of the table but found that his appetite had vanished for the moment so he simply took that, as well as Near's empty plate, into the kitchen and left them on the counter.

Perhaps it was time he played around on the laptop. And by that he meant hack. Though games were fun, should he find something to interest him. Maybe he would play WoW, it _was_ a classic.

Matt sat in much the same way, the only difference being the pizza was replaced by the laptop. He stretched and decided on checking his e-mail first, because that was a much higher priority...

He got distracted by the link to a world news site and glanced randomly at the articles featured and otherwise archived there. There was nothing, no mention at all, about L gearing up for a take down of organized crime. And the fact that it hadn't been publicized yet meant there was massive planning involved in it, which meant that just like Jack said, he was going to hit hard once he finally struck.

Matt exited out of those and brought back up the agencies he wanted to hack into. At that point, as if sensing what Matt was about to do, Near shifted over to sit next to him, peering at the screen unblinking. Matt wasn't bothered by the albino being so close, nor watching him work.

It wasn't the first time something like that had occurred so Matt was more than used to it. He prowled around the agencies for more information, anything new at all, but there was nothing more than the small tidbit he had found the last time. Matt wondered if they would even have so much as a whisper in the air before L went after everyone.

He debated, not for the first time, if he should inform Mello, despite the fact that the blond would know he had done something to get the information... he just didn't know, and that was what bothered him the most.

"The smaller agencies that I observed were of the same result." Near commented and Matt exited his programs. There was nothing to find and therefore nothing to hack.

"Near... should we tell Mello?" and he knew Near understood without any more needing to be said. He watched as Near's fingers stopped messing with his hair and fell to his lap, where a robot rested.

"No, we should not. Not unless the situation appears to be going out of control."

Near had hesitated.

And Matt understood his apprehension. The only way they had been able to help Mello thus far was because of the fact that Mello was _unaware _that they would do something behind his back. That they would even _dare _disobey him.

If they lost that surprise it would be so much harder to help him, if at all. So he got Near's hesitancy. But he just didn't want to wait too long and have something go wrong and Mello get hurt, or worse, killed.

Matt knew he would fall apart if that happened.

With nothing more going on Near moved away and off the couch to perch awkwardly on the floor. His hip must have been bothering him more than usual for the carpeted floor to cause him pain.

But Matt didn't comment on it.

Matt leaned back into the couch even further and sighed. Despite all the sleep he'd had earlier he was tired. And it wasn't even eight in the evening. He had to wonder if it had anything to do with going out into the cold or perhaps jogging back and forth for the groceries. Both were likely explanations. Well that and the last few days had been...exhausting, to say the least. More so mentally than anything else.

But Matt wondered if he should perhaps, be used to it, the strain, by now? After all, living with Mello, the Mafiya, and the treat of L was no cake-walk.

"If Matt is tired, then Matt should sleep." Near commented a short while later. He looked down at the albino and smiled. Perhaps he should. His schedule was only messed up, well his usually weird schedule, because he had been woken early in the morning. Though one would have thought that sleeping the entire day would have fixed that.

Or maybe all the sleepless nights had finally caught up with him. He had years of those on his tab too...

"Sure Near, just wake me if something happens? Assuming I _can _sleep." he muttered the last part to himself though from the twitch of Near's lip he had heard it anyway. Matt placed the laptop onto the cushion and heaved himself from his relaxed position and stretched to relieve the tenseness that had accumulated.

He went to the pizza in the kitchen and took both boxes to the fridge and shoved them inside, along with the extra sodas he hadn't drank, as he doubted Near would have more anytime soon. With that put away he moved to his laptop and simply put it into standby mode and moved it to the table just so Near didn't have to bother with it should he want to move back there later.

Matt didn't want the hassle of bringing the laptop into his room in case it decided to beep insanely as it did before. If he was going to sleep he wanted to actually be able to _sleep_.

"I will see you in the morning, goodnight Matt."

Matt blinked at the albino who had as good as said 'don't leave your room until morning when you are rested' in his own way. He laughed, he really was amused by Near at times. Near's head was bowed and his hair shielded his face from view but Matt knew Near held a small smile.

It was times like that, despite what L had done to them, he was glad for Wammys.

He closed his door behind him softly and let his eyes adjust to the dark before he attempted to move around the room, his light switch was stupidly halfway across the room. Once it was flicked on he found the remote for his TV and turned it on. He was tired, but not quite tired enough to fall straight asleep.

Matt stripped to his boxers, which he wasn't ashamed to say were Mario kart, and slipped under the covers in the cold room. He flipped through the channels until he wound up on some talk show station, that he practically muted due to the irritatingly loud voices, and figured it would help him sleep.

He amused himself for a while with ad-libbing what they were saying

(_Host: Hey, why don't you joint me in my trailer a little later, we could have some fun?_

_Female guest: Oh! Well.. I don't think we're supposed to talk about this on air... but alright, I'm up for it._

_Host: So am I! *crowd laughs*_)

Though Matt honestly had no idea what the show was even about. He felt his eyes drooping and shoved his goggles off until they landed somewhere on the floor. They would be a bitch to find in the morning, but for the moment he didn't really care.

.

Matt was awake and stumbling from the bed before he had even registered the action. He sighed heavily, though it was a sigh of contentment. He hadn't felt that rested in a very long time.

He kicked something on the floor and when it only rolled slightly he bent down to stare at the blurry figure before he picked it up. It was his goggles. He had been lucky. One time they had ended up in the corner of the room and had taken him forever to find... which was why he generally kept them on most of the time. Though every once and a while he liked to wake up without them digging into his face.

That or get another pair as he had been meaning to...

He grabbed a new set of clothes and pulled them on almost lazily, he would shower later on that night. He would probably be up late after all that sleep. He didn't even know what time it was but decided he could find out after coffee.

Matt winced at the thought though; it meant he would have to clean the leftover stuff from the day before as it had conveniently slipped his mind until then. Well didn't that suck?

He trudged from his room and into the kitchen only to spot the coffee pot already cleaned with coffee brewing. He blinked. To his knowledge, Mello wasn't home, so that left Near. Matt shook his head with a grin; he supposed it was a thank you for the pizza.

And thinking on the pizza made his stomach growl, though he really wasn't in the mood for it. While the coffee bubbled and gurgled in the pot Matt searched through the cabinet for the noodle cups he knew he had put away.

He glowered at the non-organization, though it was his own laziness from the night before, until he finally found them three shelves away from their usual spot. He would need to have it organized before Mello got back or something would end up shot if the blond couldn't find his chocolate... which Matt didn't even know the current placement of.

The coffee machine beeped just as he had finished ripping the packaging off a noodle cup and filling it with water. He placed the cup in the microwave, which was not recommended, and got himself a cup of coffee while the other cooked.

He had wondered where Near was, until he realized the faucets water pressure had been a little off. Near was in the shower. He hoped that using the hot water hadn't affected the shower at all, Near's skin had always been too sensitive so the water had to be just right or he burned whether the water was too warm or cold.

Matt pulled the noodles form the microwave and set them aside with the lid open to cool as he fished out a fork. He brought everything to the computer desk and moved his laptop over to it a second later.

Near took that moment to emerge from the shower and walk into the room. "Mello called again while Matt was asleep."

Matt immediately glanced up; that was odd. "What did he want?" and more importantly was he going to be in trouble for not answering.

"Mello wanted assurance that we were still here." the way Near said it suggested that he was bothered by something, not that the news hadn't bothered Matt as well. For Mello to call twice, and in such short intervals, meant something was up. The problem was _what_ exactly.

"Thanks for making coffee." Matt decided to comment on instead. They were both worried over something and confirming it to each other wouldn't help them get it sorted out. It could simply be Mello getting more paranoid... but Matt didn't buy that.

He sighed as he sat down in the swivel chair while Near turned on the news. Matt stuffed the fork into the noodles and pulled a bunch of them from the cup and into the air to cool off, otherwise he would never get to eat them.

"And on other news, a gruesome murder happened right at the entrance of-"

Matt took a bite as he looked up, wondering where it was simply because he was bored, only to choke as he recognized the face of the deceased. Near looked over and he forced himself to clear his throat and fix his expression.

"I stuffed too much in my mouth at once, you know how that goes..." he told Near with a shrug and went back to slurping it up as if everything was well. Which it wasn't.

Because that had been Jack.

**-End **_**Zero**_**-**

**AN:** Buwhahaha, don't you just love where I ended it? But if I hadn't ended it here I would have ended up with a really HUGE chapter... and I didn't want to have to edit that. :)

I changed the summary again too, I think it flows better than previous ones. No major change but I figured I'd say something people are like 'is this different?' *facedesk*

Enjoy the calm, because the storm is coming XD.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Chasing, LittleMissAnthrope, Slayers64, Diamone, critter141151, SuperSaiyanKiri, chiakaiyuki, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, MyChocoholic, MsMattJeevas, JJ, 9shadowcat9, Zellicy

Review?


	20. Chapter 17: Circles

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Death Note.

**Suggested Listening**: You Stupid Girl **by** Framing Hanley

**Chapter Seventeen**: _Circles _

To say that Matt was shocked would have been an understatement. He had honestly never expected Jack to get killed, he had figured Jack would simply slink back off to wherever it was that he lived and would be fine until everything blew over. Matt hated being wrong.

He forced himself to finish the, now tasteless, noodles and simply left the styrafoame cup on the desk beside him. His mind had already crept back to the e-mail he had deleted days ago, the one that had been from Jack.

He immediately went to the e-mail trash bin and pulled up the message. Matt was glad he hadn't decided to completely delete it, which would have caused him some effort to get back.

As he read he only felt guilt.

In the e-mail, Jack had mentioned that he felt as though he were being watched and that perhaps he hadn't quite covered his tracks as well as he had thought. Though Matt winced at the mention of Jack not blaming him for not wanting a relationship with him.

He had requested a meeting to talk, and only to talk, if Matt didn't mind, and had stated where he would be. It was the place he had been killed at. Matt grit his teeth and stared at the words on the screen. If he had responded he would have made sure Jack hadn't gone. Because if he were being watched, which he obviously had been, it wasn't a good idea to make himself an easy target by being out in the open, not that Jack hadn't already known those things...

Hell, Matt thought, he might have even gotten the Mafiya involved to keep him alive. But he hadn't... and for that he was sorry.

He may have planned on never seeing Jack again, but that hadn't meant he wanted him dead. Matt sighed. It seemed that everything, as of late, was turning into a giant mess and he had no way of stopping it. He couldn't stop himself from thinking '_what next?_' despite the trouble such a statement usually brought forth.

He didn't even need to think about why Jack had been murdered, it was too much of a coincidence for it to be any other reason then the information he had gotten on L. And to Matt, it only solidified the worth of the information, even had he not found traces of it in a government agency mainframe.

He just wished it hadn't come at such a high price.

The laptops wireless mouse cracked under his hand at the pressure the fragile plastic received from his hand and he relented as Near looked over. It seemed that everything bad was connected to something he had done, or in this case, not done.

Matt worried his lip and stood from the desk, noodle cup in hand and quickly dumped it in the trash. He leaned against the counter for a moment as he ran a gloved hand across his face. Guilt, he decided, was a shitty emotion.

Matt fumbled with his lighter for a moment as he lit a cigarette, leaving it to hang from his lips and instinctively procured two cans of energy drink and brought them back with him after a few more minutes of solitude.

He glanced at the TV and found that Near still watched the news, and that the same story was still on. He frowned but tried not to draw Near's attention back to him, though knowing the albino it probably had never left.

Near had probably made the connection to his informant already, so he supposed it was a lost cause. And though the situation concerning Jack was crappy, more than crappy, it had caused Matt to decide on something.

He generally liked to ignore things for as long as possible, if he could, but with L on the prowl soon it was best to have as much information as he could. Which was why, despite not generally doing so, he was going to hack into Mello's personal files. The past few days, despite the odd phone calls, had been quiet, as though something big were about to happen.

It made Matt wonder if Mello knew something about L, his odd behavior point in case.

Something wasn't right, and either Mello knew something, or he was planning something and wanted to make sure he and Near weren't caught in the crossfire. He had wanted to simply chalk it up to Mello's ever growing paranoia, and probably would have stuck with it unless the situation got stranger, but with Jack's death he needed to make sure it wasn't something more. It saddened Matt that Jack had died, but it would _destroy_ him if Mello did.

Matt decided that Near didn't need to be informed unless he found something in Mello's files. He set up a playlist and plugged in his earphones before he started; after all, all hacks needed good background music.

He hoped Mello wasn't updating any of his files at the moment or there was a possibility that he would notice the slight glitch in them as Matt hacked through them. There was only a small percentage of chance that he would notice, though that small amount was enough to make him slightly worried.

The glitch wouldn't stay once he had exited the document, but for someone as keen eyed as Mello, it was problematic should he be watching, for whatever reason.

But Matt pushed those thoughts aside as he eased into the system he and Near had perfected behind Mello's back; he floated across the security and sifted through the files until he found Mello's restricted files and efficiently pried them open document by document.

Most if was the Mafiya's financial stuff, or business related ventures; things Matt hadn't known Mello had gotten his hands into, though it made sense with how well he and Near lived and the amount of cash Mello paid for things.

Though one document caught his eye; it was a list of current dealings, with Mello's own thoughts scrolled across it in italics. Though sometimes there would be a change in his thoughts marked, and updated, by red; as though he were correcting himself or perhaps changing his mind due to some unknown circumstance.

On the very bottom of the list, dated not too many days ago, was the last entry. Matt's eyes widened. Mello was going to use the Mafiya to go on an offensive against L. Matt popped open one of his drinks and took a swig while managing not to drop his cigarette which had been steadily burning.

Well, that was certainly news.

Though from what Matt had read, Mello didn't know that L was planning the exact same, only on organized crime in general. Though it was only speculation...The scenario had _bad ending_ written all over it. And though he couldn't say what L knew, he doubted L knew that Mello was a Mafiya boss, or at least _hadn't_. It was hard to say what he had uncovered from his information gathering. Because Matt knew that was the only reason L hadn't gone after any of the families yet. Not even L could simply go in guns blazing and hope to win.

Though Mello seemed to quite like that idea. But then, Mello had the luck of the devil sometimes.

His Mafiya included. If there was one thing to be said, it was that the Mafiya had been changed as much as it had changed Mello; things were much less bloody and far calmer than they had been pre-Mello, and they were far more organized and disciplined.

They were loyal to Mello, as his father had been a Mafioso before him; though it could also have been Mello's mere presence and insanely brilliant mind and his willingness to go to any length to get something done. Or that he would probably _get rid of_ anyone that didn't meet his standards, loyalty included; it was hard to say what it was exactly.

It seemed like Mello would only need another week, if that, before everything was in place, Matt just hoped that his plans didn't fall apart because of L. Or maybe it would be best if his plans did go down the drain...

Matt knew that Mello wouldn't have that type of information in more than one place, easier for things to get stolen or hacked, so he simply copied that document to his laptop before he closed it out. He made sure he hadn't been detected before exiting Mello's system completely and opening up his e-mail.

Even if Near still wanted them to withhold the information from Mello, the albino still needed to know what Mello was planning. He sent the document to Near, who's laptop was on the floor beside him and almost smirked as Near glanced over at his laptop and tilted his head in Matt's direction, as though attempting to decide if the e-mail was worth reading at the time.

It wasn't as though Matt had sent e-mails stating 'Hi Near!' when they had been in the same room before... not at all.

But he supposed it didn't really matter when Near looked at the document, so long as he did. He had a feeling, a rather large feeling, that Near would still be hesitant to clue Mello in at this point, and he was fine with that. Because if he felt that Mello was simply in too much danger, as he would definitely be tracking what movements he could of the blond from now on, he would make the decision for them and inform Mello.

He wouldn't lose the blond.

He clicked out of his e-mail, knowing that should Near feel the need to reply he would do so in person, and frowned at the article about Jacks death that stared him in the face of the e-mails logout page. How were those people allowed to post that picture? Wasn't it too gory? They obviously didn't care.

Matt sighed and moved away from the page.

Out of site, out of mind. And soon enough the dark haired man's death would be nothing more than a passing thought, a flicker of guilt among all the other things he already felt guilt over. He supposed that maybe he ought to feel more, but really he and Jack had never made a good connection.

Matt was certainly glad for that now. He had Mello to focus on, and that was much more important. At least in his eyes.

As Matt loaded WoW he wondered, if perhaps, he should leave tracking L to Near. Or if he should simply do both. Though he doubted Near would simply sit back and let Matt do all of the work, it just simply wasn't how Near behaved.

He and Mello were more alike then the blond would probably like to admit. Matt found it sort of amusing. At least their rivalry, the bitter parts of it, had left completely. That was at least something good despite everything.

He let his thoughts drift for a while, lighting and smoking more than a third of a pack in that time, until he caught sight of a white blur in his peripheral vision, though only momentarily. He finished the current quest and saved the game before he pulled his headphones free to look at Near, who stood silently beside him.

"Mello does not know about L's intentions. His actions would be much more... harsh, had that been the case." Matt smiled at the albino, silently agreeing with him. It had occurred to him, that while Mello's current plan was rather obscure, it would have been downright crazy had Mello known L would be after the Mafiya. He would have seen it as a competition, a silent one, between the two of them.

Mello was dead set in his hatred for L.

And anything that would one-up him in his mental score board was complete gold in his eyes, crazy or not.

That was just how Mello was.

"Matt will track both of their movements, correct?" Near asked him. He nodded as he held his cigarette out and away from Near. The smoke always irritated the albino if he were too close to it, and as they were hardly a foot apart, it was definitely too close.

"Yeah, and I know you'll want to as well. Looks like our sleeping patterns will be off for a while again." Matt gave a small shrug to Near and was a little more than surprised by the slightly creepy smile Near gave him. Though any smile Near gave was generally creepy by default. Near just wasn't made to smile normally.

Near said no more as he walked off to his room, probably to sleep for a while as Matt was awake, but Matt got the feeling that Near liked the entire idea, perhaps was even... excited? over it.

That or he had just wanted to smile.

Matt went with the first choice.

He supposed though, that it shouldn't have been surprising, despite the nature of their 'research'. It would certainly break up the monotony of their lives, though Matt supposed that in the last week any form of normal redundancy had been broken.

At least for him it had.

Near had probably still been bored.

Matt stretched and stood up after finishing the open sugar-rush-in-a-can. He might as well take his shower while there was nothing going on, because the moment something came up he would cease to have time, or would at least be too lazy afterwards to care.

And Matt hated the grimy feeling that settled on his skin after too long without a wash. It had happened more often in the last few years then he would have liked. He was far from unclean, but he was lazy about things when he was tired or distracted.

He supposed there were worse things...

He grabbed a change of clothes and left his laptop on standby, he would definitely hear it should something big happen. Sadly that also meant that Near would as well. But Near seemed to do alright with quick power naps rather than actual sleep. Then again, Near had always been like that.

With the bathroom door closed Matt striped naked and after adjusting the spray to something of a tolerable temperature, he stepped into the shower and sighed. The water was warm against his skin and he simply stood there, head bowed, for a few moments, thoroughly enjoying himself. He inhaled deeply before he continued on to washing himself clean.

He paused; a few minutes, perhaps ten, later as he thought he heard movement in the hallway. Perhaps Near hadn't been taking a nap after all, Matt thought to himself. He didn't really care at the moment, and continued to rinse the mix of shampoo and conditioner from his hair.

His eyes were squeezed tight and he resisted the urge to sway from the feeling of vertigo he received in his closed eyed state. When the slick soapy feeling vanished from his hair he slicked it back and out of his eyes and shut the water off; wiping the residual water from his eyes he stepped, blurry eyed, from the shower and quickly towel dried his hair and replaced his goggles.

After that it was simple to finish drying and change clothes. Matt wondered, not for the first time, if he should conceder contact lenses...

With a sigh he opened the door in time to hear the alarm system going back on. Matt looked around and spotted Near in the entrance of the hallway, looking unblinkingly at the closed front door.

Near turned back to look at him, as though finally noticing that he was out.

"Mello has just left." Near told him. His surprise must have shown for Near elaborated. "Mello has taken a change of clothes and chocolate with him, he is planning to be gone at least another day. Or at the least another twelve hours."

It figured that Mello would come home when he ran out of chocolate. Clothes had probably been an afterthought. And Near had probably only noticed Mello's presence as the sounds he made would have been extra and separate from the showers signaling that someone other than Matt was moving about and around.

Mello had been intentionally sneaking around then, or Near wouldn't have come out of his room, the bastard.

With an irritated sigh Matt shoved his dirty clothes into the laundry hamper and went to inspect the damage done to the chocolate supply. The cabinet door was open and Matt immediately noticed the absence of much of the chocolate.

He needed to buy more again. Mello must have run out a while ago if he had grabbed that much and only one change of clothing. And though Matt was only able to go on what Near had seen, he trusted Near. He was insanely observant even with only his one eye.

He looked at the time, almost three pm, and sighed again. If Matt hadn't been sure he was low on cigarettes, despite having bought some not too long ago, he might have been more irritated than he already was. Despite the fact that Mello hadn't even stayed to say hello. Not that he had expected it of the blond. He wondered how long that chocolate would last with all of the preparations Mello was making to go against L.

Matt decided that it wouldn't be long at all.

"Near, you need anything while I restock the damn chocolate and grab some frozen dinner?" Matt didn't feel like cooking anything that he had bought, and most of the things in the freezer were not prepared meals, and the ones that were, were for Mello. Picky bastard.

"I do not require anything." Near told him softly. Matt decided he would pick something up for him anyway. Honestly why did he even bother to ask when he ignored him anyway?

He lazily wandered around the apartment, getting his boots and socks in order, and lit another cigarette after his vest had been put on. He patted at his pocket but realized, as he looked at them on the table, that his keys weren't in there.

With a slight roll of his eyes he scooped them up and left the apartment after fiddling with the alarm system. He had only forgotten to turn it back on once, and Matt never wanted a repeat of the week from hell Mello had given him afterwards. Though Matt was sure it hadn't been pleasant for Mello either as he had left early for work as an escape. He was addicted to cigarettes, so taking them away had not been a good thing.

He sped away from the apartment with a sigh and stopped at the first place he knew sold food. He didn't feel like having to drive all the way to the normal grocers to wait in those lines with all those people. It was bad enough he had needed to go out again as it was.

While the normal grocers he went to was small, the corner place he had stopped at was _tiny_. No larger than a gas station and it had a limited selection of things, but Matt knew that it had more frozen food than anything, or at least more edible frozen food than anything on the shelves.

He scanned the top shelves of the freezer section, the lower ones being more of ice cream or _healthier_ frozen foods. Sorry, but no, he didn't want a bag of mixed vegetables and some sort of meat for only 250 calories that wasn't even fit to feed a small child.

Matt's eyes finally settled on some sort of frozen Asian dish; the expensive kind that took more than four minutes to make in the microwave or stovetop. Food was food and he really was tired of having to be near the freezer section where it was cold. That and Near wouldn't care what was brought home, he would either eat what Matt made or would find something himself.

The cashier was some middle aged woman who wore her hair up in a tight bun and had very deep wrinkles around the corners of her mouth. Either she used to smile a lot or it was from frowning. Somehow he settled on the latter.

She spoke in quick and patchy Russian, as though she didn't quite get enough air into her lungs to say things properly. That or his understanding of Russian had taken a nosedive in the last day or so.

He handed her the credit card and her eyes narrowed at him though she swiped it anyway. He didn't bother to smile, or smirk, at her on his way out.

Matt tossed the bags into the back of the car and drove off to a specialty store, one for only dark chocolate creations, that was nearby, as he knew Mello would want the good kind but he wasn't willing to drive halfway across town to the grocers to get it. Nor would he be driving anywhere close enough to dignify the extra mileage.

He had only once been in the store, which was rather nice compared to the other buildings that surrounded it, when he had gone on an emergency chocolate run back when Mello had received his eighth scar. Funny how Mello seemed to have accumulated more scars while they lived at the apartment then when they had lived with the Mafiya.

The cashier there paid him no second glances as he rang out another customer, who had bought some weird artsy chocolate. Matt almost snorted at the _look_ he would receive should he even think of getting Mello something like that. The blond would probably toss the chocolate at him.

Might be good for April first though.

Matt wandered down the aisles and finally found the pure dark chocolate bars, though some were assorted with nuts and whatnot, and gathered as much as he could carry. The cashier's eyes widened and Matt was given a dubious look, as though the man didn't believe he had enough to pay for all of that. Matt's lip twitched.

He didn't of course, but _someone _did.

Ah, the beauty of hacking.

The man thanked him for his business as the card went through and Matt decided that if it wasn't enough chocolate than Mello was out of damn luck as he had been out of the apartment more times in the last few days than he had in the past year and all Matt wanted to do when he got home was stay inside while the world fell apart around him.

Well, maybe he would go out for cigarettes, if only to take a drive in his car; he did love it.

Matt revved the engine and watched in amusement as the person passing by the car started a bit. They gave him the finger as they caught his smirk. He made a rude gesture back and watched as the persons face flushed in anger.

He waved at them as he pulled from the parking space. Damn he needed to stay indoors more often. His neck slightly as he titled his head and he winced. That hadn't been intentional.

Thankfully he only had one stop left to make, that being his cigarettes before he would be able to simply vegetate in front of his laptop for a while. He stopped at a small gas station over by the tram station and just as he'd gotten out of the car his phone gave a shrill ring. He froze.

He had never heard that ring before, though he knew exactly what it meant. He swore and moved over to the small fountain that he supposed had been planted there to make the place seem more inviting, though no water flowed from it.

He sat on the ledge and flipped the phone open and slid the phones keyboard into view. Someone was hacking into Mello's systems and the only reason his phone would give that alarm was if Near had taken too long in getting them out.

Matt was thankful that he had set the phone up to his laptop so that it would send it commands as the phone itself was incapable of holding and storing or utilizing the amount of programs he used for maintaining Mello's systems; though it was a bad idea to keep it connected for any length of time as the phone was an unsecure source.

He wasn't too far from the apartment but he knew he wouldn't have time to get back before the problem had grown out of control and he didn't want to divert any of his attention to driving at the moment.

He typed madly into the keyboard, inputting commands to his computer and he almost grinned as he was a second away from booting them from the system when an alert popped onto the small screen.

"Fuck!" he cursed. They had tracked the cell phones signal through the unsecured wireless network on the phone. Fucking Internet. He couldn't go back to the apartment until he had gotten rid of the phone. He couldn't simply smash it and hope they wouldn't snoop the area, things like that never actually paned out.

He got back into his car, forgoing the cigarettes which could be procured at a latter time, and drove the few blocks to the rail station. He didn't want his car to be found at the gas station while he wasn't there. He quickly popped the memory card and watched as all of his saved contacts, Mello and Near's number disappeared as though they had never been there. He crushed the tiny card under heal and made sure to toss the broken pieces into the nearest trash bin.

Matt shivered at the harsh Russian wind that hit him, the weather station had stated a storm was coming in, and hurried inside the station. He planned on leaving the phone on the train and hoped that whomever was tracking him would follow the signal, thinking that he was on it. When Matt got back to the apartment, after driving far enough away and doubling back just to be safe, he would need to tell Near and discuss what they should do.

He quickly purchased a ticket to St. Petersburg, a heavily crowded place, and made his way onto the train, as the only way to do what he wanted was to get passed the ticket check. It was packed and as he _accidentally_ bumped into a young woman he slipped the phone into her pocket.

He could only hope that she didn't find it for a while and kept it in St. Petersburg.

Matt slipped from the train only moments before it was scheduled to set off and almost lazily wandered around the station for a while before people began to take a second glance at him. He had stayed long enough.

He made his way through the crowd of people and had just walked out of the station when a hand clamped over his mouth and dragged him off to the side and into a car. Matt recognized one of the faces inside before he was hit in the back of the head, his vision fading as he locked onto the bulky form in the front seat.

**-End Circles-**

**AN**: Did you expect this? Huh, did'ya? Buwhahaha. XD

Um, I only updated because I wanted to get this chapter out before I went back to work as im working extra this week. I won't be updating ET this much again. XD

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Bokmal14, foreverunloved, Living in a fantasy, chiakaiyuki, MeteorMello, JJ, Chasing, Miname Shiranai, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, critter141151, MsMattJeevas, 9shadowcat9, Slayers64, Diamone


	21. Interlude: Part Three

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note.

**AN**: This chapter has split POV for obvious reasons, i will only tell you that Matt's POV happens in time before Mello's. May be days, may be hours or minutes.

Also, **contest**: DeathNotes-Matt-Chan had been the winner, but I haven't received a reply and as I stated before if I hadn't received a reply by the time I was ready to post (sorry you _were_ given 5 days) then it would go to someone else.

InnerShadow, if you would PM me within the next 5 days the contest win goes to you. XD

**Suggested Listening**: Diamond Eyes **by** Deftones

**Interlude: **_Part Three_

Mello shoved his keys into the jacket and waited irritably in the elevator as it rose to correct floor. He had been gone longer than intended and was tired, pissed off, and in desperate need of a shower. But he still held a devious grin.

He would soon be implementing a plan to attack L, and he _would_ win no matter the cost. He entered the security code as he opened the apartment door, already hearing Matt's furious typing for whatever game it was that he was playing.

Mello immediately knew something was wrong when he spotted Near typing away at Matt's laptop with the redhead nowhere in sight. No matter how close Matt was with them he still never allowed them access to his laptop willingly when they each had their own.

His eyes narrowed as Near glanced up at him for a second only for the single eye to quickly dart back to the screen; Near was tense.

Wanting to know just what the hell Matt had done to upset the usually stoic seeming albino Mello pulled free his phone from the confines of his leather jacket and speed dialed Matt's number.

The feeling in his gut grew even worse when the call immediately cut off and a recording reached his ears 'Your call can not be completed at this time-'

He dialed again.

And again...

.

.

_Matt spat the blood from his mouth and stared defiantly at his captors, his eyes glowing with rebellion despite not quite being able to lock onto their forms. They had taken his goggles in the beginning but it didn't seem they had realized he was mostly blind without them. It was the little things right?_

_He had quit paying attention to what they were saying long ago. They didn't know who he was, only that he was close to one of the Russian Mafiya boss's, and that had been all Matt had needed to know._

_Mello was safe, as safe as he ever could be, for the moment._

_At least until L got a look at him. He could only hope for death as he wasn't sure what he could take, they were getting bored with simply asking him questions and smacking him in the face._

_The manic grin on the thugs face suggested that he might be begging for death by the end of all of this. _

.

.

The phone dropped from his fingers to deftly clatter on the floor, unbroken.

Near had just said... no he had to be wrong. Matt couldn't have...

L could _not_ have Matt in his possession!

Mello couldn't think, could hardly breath. L had... L had Matt? Matt the one he had tried so hard to protect. Matt his best friend. Matt, the boy he _loved_. L had _him_?

"Mello...?" the albino questioned.

He clenched his fists and grit his teeth until he could almost hear them grinding together. The words just didn't make sense. How could... how could this have happened?

.

.

_Matt opened his eyes, blurrily, to find himself strapped down on a table. His head felt... clouded. It was difficult to think, to reason. _

_Without his goggles he could only make out the fuzzy and distorted blurs of the lights above him. Almost as though he were in a hospital. _

_If he was he hoped to god he wasn't still with 'them'. He felt blood trickle down the side of his face and grimaced as it slid into his ear._

_The things they had done... probably could have been worse, if he thought on it._

_Matt was getting a headache from the constant shift in lightning and let his eyes fall shut, he couldn't see much of anything anyway, so what did it matter? All he knew, was that he hadn't told them anything... or at least he couldn't remember it if he had._

.

.

Mello was furious.

No, furious didn't begin to cover it. Matt and Near had gone _behind his back _and altered his systems, made them better he thought to himself, and Matt had gotten abducted _because_ of a breach, because he hadn't even _known _about it.

Near had even called him as soon as he had lost contact with Matt, had called him many times in the past few days, but Mello had been too busy and had shut his phone off. He had lost valuable time because of a fuckup.

"Mello left us no other options..." Near commented softly.

Mello's lips curled frightfully and he nearly slumped against the door. No, no he hadn't and look where it had gotten them. Gotten Matt...

He clenched the rosary around his neck tightly.

.

.

_They eventually stopped and the nausea that had bubbled up inside of him from the constant motion began to subside. Matt believed they had given him a concussion; that or it was the side-effects from whatever drug they had dosed him with._

_He heard the soft clack of something being undone and winced as the pressure around certain parts of his body was released. He hadn't even known he had been restrained. His fingers twitched when he thought about moving them, but nothing more._

_Matt found that, even unstrapped, he could hardly move; his limbs having the feeling of being weighed down by bricks. Even moving his fingers had been a challenge, one that left him exhausted._

_His head lolled to the side and he felt his heart sink at the sight that greeted him. He closed his eyes again and sucked in a deep breath. He was lifted into a pair of arms, limbs dangling, and couldn't do anything as he was placed, unwillingly but unable to even voice his complaints, into a heavy wooden box with a nicely waxed finish._

_Whatever happened to him, he prayed that Mello wouldn't do anything stupid._

.

.

He sent out a silent prayer, something he hadn't felt the need to do in so long, but it didn't help quell the emotions that flooded him. Horror, the thought of losing Matt permanently; Shock, that Matt had been taken in the first place; Anger, at himself; Fright... Guilt...

"We will get him back... if Mello can harness the correct emotion." Near commented, though his fingers hadn't once stopped typing, and Mello knew that the albino was still attempting to find any leads on Matt's location, tracing the phone or otherwise. How long had Near been at it?

Near didn't look as though he had slept at all, not even his usual odd naps; he looked haggard and had bags under his eyes. Near was, and had been, doing more for Matt than he was at the moment.

Mello felt something well up inside of himself and he lifted his head fully and grinned; it was a twisted grin, one full of malice, and let his anger burn inside of him. Near was right, as usual, it was not the time to fall apart, he could do that later, on his own time. Matt needed to be saved, and soon. It was time for him to be the Mafiya boss he was, and not the scared child he felt like. He had resources of his own, and he would use them.

"Let's get him back." he growled. Near looked up at him and smiled in his creepy way.

L would regret the day he had crossed Mello.

And if L wouldn't come out to play, then Mello would burn the world down around him until he had no place left to hide.

_I'm coming to get you Matt, just be alive when I get there._

**-End **_**Interlude Part Three**_**-**

**AN:** So yeah... i'm sure by now you at least have a guess about how long L's hired help has had Matt. I will give you a hint, it is more than a day but less than a week, ya? I will however not tell you when each of Matt's little clips have taken place. :) bwahaha. Yay for cliffy?

**Special thanks to reviewers**: hobomara, FluffyDuck-01, Pika Pants, MyChocoholic, Bedessica, 9shadowcat9, MsMattJeevas, critter141151, foreverunloved, Slayers64, Bokmal14, Zellicy, Beyond'sWaraNingyo,

dramaq, JJ, SuperSaiyanKiri, Diamone, Miname Shiranai, InnerShadow, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan

Review?


	22. Chapter 18: Bow

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note. There would be lot and lots of sex if i did.

**AN**: *grins* oh i cant wait until you read this... heheeheheh.

Anyway, sorry for the LATE update as I was supposed to update early…. But RL is dreadfully busy and is going to continue to be busy ALL WEEK so idk when I'll update next week. Might be my normal Monday might not. We'll see.

**Suggested Listening**: King of the World **by** Porcelain and the Tramps (i can so see this as Mello's song... totally); Nothing Is What It Seems (Without You) **by** Saosin

**Chapter Eighteen**: _Bow_

The wind whipped his blond hair around, the parts left uncovered by the hastily thrown on helmet, but Mello ignored it even when the sharp strands bit and stung his eyes. He was on his way back to his base to receive information that he couldn't get on the phone. He had made some calls to a few men he trusted, and that was a stretch, and had requested they find out anything they could about any new people in the area, anyone looking to make a move on the area or anyone acting stranger than normal.

He trusted them only because he was assured they knew he wouldn't hesitate to have their families killed should they betray him, that and they were some of the only few who had been with the Mafiya since his fathers time, who had respected him.

Not that he hadn't earned his own version of respect in the years he'd been in control. He showed mercy IF and only if it was deserved but had no problem dismembering someone if it came to it and in front of his men if it was required.

If they would not respect him, then they would fear him. But either way they would follow and obey him. And should they fuck up then they were useless to him. He was good at reading people, but that didn't mean everyone was an open book, and he wasn't around them all the time or on the streets like they were.

His men would know better than anyone if something abnormal was going down, though they might not have thought anything of it at the time as Mello had them on other projects. The L projects. Only now they were on a different set of project for him against L. Because L had crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed.

There was no evidence it was L, but Near was certain it was his doing somehow, and after the entire story had spilled from the albino's lips, Mello was convinced it was L as well. It was too coincidental to have been anything else, and Mello no longer believed in coincidence.

He pushed the machine faster and hunched slightly more foreword as it roared around him and he felt the rush at going far beyond what he knew he could handle, but it didn't matter so long as he got back to base as fast as possible. Matt's life depended on it.

If he wasn't already dead, his mind supplied.

He ignored that voice even though it had been days since the abduction. Days that Matt had been in their care. Near had left him fifteen messages in that time, but Mello had been so busy he had shut his phone off.

Mello knew he never should have done it, and it was entirely his own fault that Near had been the only one aware of Matt's disappearance. His gloved hands clenched tightly around the throttle and pushed it harder still. He whipped past oncoming cars and ignored the blaring horns directed at them. They were nothing to him...

And Matt...

Matt was _everything_.

.

Mello sped to a stop outside of the abandoned factory that served as their base. It looked like shit on the outside but had been remodeled inside and even had rooms for most of the men to sleep in should there be a need.

He tossed the helmet aside not really caring where it landed, with how fast he had been going a the damn thing wouldn't have saved him had he crashed, and strode back into the building that he had only left hours earlier.

Mello went in through a side door, not because it was less conspicuous from the outside, but because no one other than three people knew he was back. And he wanted to keep it that way for the moment.

The hallway was dark, only lit by pale and flickering lights, but he knew his way around. Mello's hand rested on the gun shoved in the front of his leathers and made sure the safety was off. If something went wrong he would have more to worry about then having his junk blown off.

He rounded the corner and headed toward the only open door with light blaring out from underneath. He didn't bother to knock and simply pushed the door open and raised an eyebrow as a gun barrel was aimed at him.

It was lowered immediately when he was recognized.

"Sir..." a tall brown haired man, in a typical black suit minus the jacket, named Yuriy greeted him. He eased his fingers off the gun ever so slightly as he stepped from the dark of the corridor.

Mello immediately spotted the other two, who were seated in the middle of the room on rotted looking boxes. The one with the short black hair, graying in patches, pulled back with a thing leather strap at the base of his skull was Sasha. The other, a bulky kind of man with a shaved head, the typical thug type, was Kain.

They were his three most trusted, Yuriy being the one he trusted to run things while he was gone. Normally if something were to go wrong he would be blamed, however Mello liked to blame the actual individuals who created the mess. Probably the only reason Yuuri had survived so long with him despite things generally being calmer now-a-day.

He also took note of the blood spatters that coated one wall of the room and that reached out across the floor in a spider web like manor.

"I did as asked, with the help of Sasha and Kain, and we discovered that after putting together our individual experiences that Viktor had been missing for a long period of time during the time frame given for your friend's disappearance." Yuriy said, while not quite staring him in the face, more of off to the side.

Mello narrowed his eyes and had no need to tell Yuriy to continue. "The three of us lead him here on the pretense that we wanted to discuss a possible way to get ride of you..." Yuriy trailed off, uncomfortable. And Mello understood why. Such talk was usually grounds for elimination.

"We were able to subdue him and after a bit of persuasion coaxed the truth from him." Sasha took over. Viktor had always been weak. He was young and thought he knew everything because he was three years Mello's senior. He was a fucking idiot.

"He had been an informant for one of L's presumed contacts. Though it was never confirmed by him if the man actually worked with L, and he had never given away your appearance in hopes for lenience on your part should he be caught before his end of the deal, the take over of the Mafiya, be complete." Sasha cleared his throat for a moment.

"The only reason your friend was taken was because of... his association with you." Sasha finished hesitantly.

"And where is Viktor now?" Mello asked calmly, a dead eerie calm. In truth he didn't feel a thing. He had known that someone in the ranks was a traitor, feeding information to an outside source. But it hadn't affected him yet and he had wanted to see how it would play out while he solidified things with the people he knew he could trust should things go bottom up. He honestly hadn't thought it had anything to do with L.

His emptiness was suddenly filled with an almost gut wrenching guilt. Matt had been taken away because of his oversight, probably hurt because of it and even possibly...

And the guilt turned to anger.

"He is dead and disposed of." Kain replied, being the first time he had spoken the entire time.

"Pity." Mello commented stonily and Sasha shifted uneasily on his feet, being the closest to him.

"Why is that?"

Mello turned his icy gaze on him and took a sick pleasure, in that entirely grim situation, in the way he flinched. "Because I would have pealed the flesh from his bones and fed him to the rats had he still been alive."

His fists were unconsciously clenched by his sides and his head dipped allowing his hair to shadow parts of his face and give him an almost demonic expression. "I need to find out where he was taken." he growled.

"Kain was able to pry the location out of him..." and when Yuriy said pry Mello had no doubt that he had literally _pried_ it out of him in some form. The problem being was that they hadn't told him immediately.

"You needed to be informed of the entire situation before gallivanting off into the sunset." Kain commented quietly. He was probably the only one Mello would allow to get away with such a comment. If only because should he shoot him, and the bullet didn't kill him, Kain could probably break him in half with his bare hands. That and he _was_ sort of amusing at times. Scared the piss out of the new recruits at the very least.

And, though Mello hated to admit it, Kain did have a point. While Mello was brilliant, if he was too emotionally invested in something he often let his rational thoughts get swept away with his emotions. And in this case, it could cost Matt his life.

"Fine, I have the entire situation in my knowledge, so _where is he_?" Mello asked with as much calm as he could muster. Though it really wasn't much. He _needed_ to get Matt. Needed to fix his mistake...

His men looked hesitant and not for the first time Mello saw the loyalty in their actions. Had they not been in this with him they wouldn't have cared if went out half-cocked and got killed. "Sasha you are coming with me so fucking give me the damn location." he snapped. That was as close to caring as he would get with them, he had an image to maintain and he wouldn't break it.

"Get me a map." Kain requested. He may have looked the typical thug type, and acted a little bit like it, but just because he was silent did not mean he was stupid. Far from it. But then again, the other two weren't idiots either.

Sasha didn't hesitate to leave the room in search of a map and the silence he left in his wake was riddled with a tense unease. The minutes ticked by, made ever longer by the situation, and Mello had contemplated leaving to get one himself by the time the man finally reappeared.

He offered no information on what had taken him so long and simply handed the map over and slunk into the background as though his lateness wasn't enough to get him killed. And it was really, but Mello had neither the time nor the attention span at the moment to deal with it; especially when he had a feeling they probably hadn't left a map just lying around randomly in a corridor near them.

Mello trained his eyes on the map and paid close attention to where the lines were drawn and the route explained. It was clever, hiding Matt in such plain sight. Though the location was also slightly worrisome. With so many people in that area, it was hard to believe no one had seen anything, unless Matt had been drugged or the people paid off.

"We're leaving now, grab what you can carry." he said and turned heal. It was, without speaking, understood what he meant. Arm yourself with as much shit as possible but don't slow yourself down. His plan was simple. Barge in and get Matt. From the size of the building there could only be so many people in there, especially with nothing strange having been reported for Near to have picked up in his search for the redhead, and with Sasha as a backup he had no doubt they could get Matt out of there. Not with both of them alive, but _Matt_ would get out of there.

No matter how many people he had to gun down or gut to do it. Mello didn't care about the amount of blood or bodies tied to his soul so long as his friend was safe. Mello supposed it was stupid, but perhaps that was love in its finest.

Or stupidity. Same thing really.

He could go in there with just himself and Sasha and have a five percent change of success or he could go in there with fifty people and risk Matt being shot by a trigger happy dipshit who didn't give a fuck what they were doing so long as they got to shoot someone. Despite how demanding he was concerning his men, there were still some in there who acted like that, only kept around due to other skills.

It was almost a suicide mission and the fact that Sasha walked calmly beside him, acting as though everything was fine, was calming to the stressed blond. He may not completely trust those men, wasn't sure he even _could_, but they were useful enough.

It was also unspoken, that while he was gone, Yuriy was in charge. Though none of the other men were to find out unless absolutely necessary. As in he was temporarily incapacitated or dead. Mello didn't like to leave anything to chance... despite the situation stating otherwise.

He wasn't worried that Yuriy would attempt a coup, he wasn't the type and Mello knew the thought had never crossed the man's mind. The others though, while they followed him because he got them money, had no real reason to stay loyal despite the fact that he would blow their knee caps right off the second he found out about any plots. Though that apparently hadn't been enough in the past if the current fiasco was anything to go on.

"I'm not too sure the others picked up on it, but you seem to have a personal vendetta against L. I won't ask what it's over, but I think you should know there is a chance that he or his proxy could be there, so if they know what you look like... you might not want to simply storm in there..." Sasha trailed off.

Mello didn't once stop in his brusque paced walking as they weaved out of the complex, using the same crappy lit way he had used to get in, but he was slightly surprised Sasha had reasoned that out on his own. He wasn't stupid, far from it actually. But at the same time Mello liked to believe that he had hidden his emotions better than that.

But if L got there... if L _was_ there, then Matt would have been recognized. And L would have known for certain that they were alive and there would be no doubt L would know Mello was one of the Russian Mafiya leaders. It was hard to say what he would do to Matt. It made as much sense to keep him alive as it did to kill him.

Use him as a bargaining chip or use him to break the enemy...

He clenched his teeth as he threw a leg over the seat of his motorbike as he signaled for Sasha to follow him, discreetly. Matt couldn't be dead... not after all he did to make sure he was protected, though that hadn't turned out very well, now had it? He reminded himself grimly.

No, it hadn't turned out well at all.

Once he was assured that Sasha was indeed following him he sped up. It wouldn't matter if the man lost sight of him as they both knew the way there, but it was always best to have someone watching your blindside.

He revved the engine again and sped further on down the road but nowhere near the crazed speeds of his journey to the base. It had been idiotic doing something of that nature when all he'd really needed to do was get Matt back safely.

And for that, he couldn't afford to die in a traffic accident.

The rout there took them out through the more secluded parts of town before, after one simple turn, they were thrust back into apartments and housing facilities. It was strange how one small stretch of road could bring someone to the middle of nowhere and hardly five minutes later back into the gritty sounds of life.

Mello slowed down at the next intersection and glanced at the street signs; only two more roads to go and he would be there. It was the address of a local business, or rather what had once been a local business before it had moved to a larger place leaving its previous residence as rented space.

It was unclear to Mello, however, if they had actually rented the space out or had simply taken it as their own to use in the abduction plans. Though even if it had been rented he doubted that the paper trail would lead back to anyone pertaining to the act, and if it did then someone had fucked up on a grand scale.

He neared the final street and slowed to a stop and as he did he noticed the sight screeching of brakes and glanced through the rear-view mirror to watch as Sasha pulled up behind him. They were in the parking lot of some bakery, though with how late it was the business was closed for the night.

Sasha didn't say a word to him in greeting nor did the man ask any questions, though Mello was certain he didn't have to worry about something going wrong. It was an unspoken thing, that Mello was going to lead in and that Sasha was there as support fire.

Because Mello wanted to down as many of those bastards on his own as he could manage.

His uneasiness at the situation only grew as he noticed the back door of the business, a sort of butcher like place, was open. Had the guns not already been his hands he would have done so then.

All around then was silence, an unnatural silence, and Mello narrowed his eyes into the darkness. There was definitely something wrong, and Mello couldn't help the fear that crept into his belly and turned his posture rigid.

His boots clunked noisily on the tiled floor as he entered the darkened place and hearing no response, nothing at all when someone should have heard something, should have done _something _by then, he flicked on the lights to find the place a mess.

The room he was in looked to simply be a loading area though there was a table and chair in the corner and a crushed package of cigarettes on the floor. A folder lay on the floor with its contents scattered about but he ignored those. He continued on, flicking on light after light in room after room.

Mello felt cold settle all around him as he found the empty rooms. All of them were empty and in disarray. _All_ of them. It was as though they had gone about crazily packing things up and had simply left, despite the fact that they shouldn't have known they had been found.

He continued on down to the cold storage area, the bolt hanging open uselessly though the door had been too firmly shut and had not opened despite the lack of support. He wrenched it open, frigid air spilling out into the room before the temperatures settled, the cold storage having been on the most minimum setting.

Sasha followed him inside and the lights flickered despite having turned them on. It was like something out of a horror movie with all of the empty meat hooks hanging from the walls and stainless steal tables. He strode foreword, glancing back and forth but it was the same as the rest of the place had been, though it was slightly cleaner, as though there hadn't been much going on in that room.

He came upon the end of the storage, it being a rather large room, or perhaps the vast emptiness attributing to that, and glanced at the out of place structure that neared the wall before his eyes caught sight of a small tag on the ground. He picked it up and scanned it.

He stared in front of him, taking a step back as it dawned on him, and couldn't help but feel a little bit helpless as he finally _saw _the supports that had been used to hold up a _casket_.

He had gotten there too late.

_Far too late_.

And god knew what they had done to Matt because of it.

**-End _Bow_-**

**AN**: Mwahahaha! I told you that you would love the ending. And I meant that as the cliffhanger. :)

Um, there MAY be errors in this, probably are. I tried to get them all but here's the thing. This chapter has been sitting on my flashdrive for a few MONTHS, and for whatever reason, my flashdrive likes to delete words off of documents. So today I had to deal with things like 'Mello sped to a stop outside of the abandoned factory that served as their .' it deleted 'base' at the end. So….. I'm probably missing lots of stuff XD

**Special thanks to reviewers: **InnerShadow, Angelic-Spirals, Living in a fantasy, critter141151, Pika Pants, Diamone, 9shadowcat9, foreverunloved, MeteorMello, xflightlesxbird, Zellicy, SuperSaiyanKiri, Atreyl, Slayers64, KaiyaMinPop, Bedessica, hobomara, MsMattJeevas

Review?


	23. Chapter 19: Breaking

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note

**AN**: :) bwahaha

Random review replies:

foreverunloved: … I have the entire fic written actually. XD. I just don't like updating more than once a week, and we all know how many fics I'm usually juggling at once, like 5, so I usually stick to once a week unless I get excited and can't wait. XD. There are officially 36 chapters to this, not including the Interludes or Prologue…

MeteorMello: it's actually a unisex name.

Living in a fantasy: When you start updating as frequently as I do, then you can complain dear. XD

**Suggested Listening**: Scream with me **by** Mudvayne

**Chapter Nineteen**: _Breaking_

Mello stood in complete silence for a moment before he took a deep breath, silently, and reached for his phone; guns safely away. There was much to do, and not a lot of time to do it. They couldn't have been gone all that long; the only thing he could think of was that perhaps Viktor had been able to tip them off before he had been killed, a missed phone call or some sort. It happened, even in his own dealings, but it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

In a worse situation...

Yuriy picked up on the second ring and Mello found that he just couldn't stay in that room anymore. "They were gone before we got here. I need the surveillance feeds from any traffic cams there are around here, any accidental recordings or surveillance from the surrounding stores that might have caught it." he barked into the phone.

He shut his eyes against the stillness of night that surrounded, a stillness that was so much like death. "They will probably be in a van or hearse of some kind." he didn't answer the unspoken questions that radiated in between the spoken information and the quiet chatter from the other end. He didn't feel like discussing it, and he was certain that if Sasha had understood he would tell them later anyway.

"I can check on the cams... but you know that I'm not all that great with hacking, so I won't promise anything." Mello could hear the frustration in Yuriy's voice and understood it well. Failure was failure just as uselessness was uselessness. Neither of them were doing too well in that department at the moment.

Mello hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Expect a call from someone who may be of some help to you. He will call himself N." he didn't really want to bring Near into it but knew Near would do what he wanted anyway, as Mello knew he wasn't the only one who care about the redhead, and so long as Near stayed far away from the actual base he would be fine.

Near had leaned to hack from Matt, but he had never been one to put himself into the real world so paring him up with Yuriy was a good idea. Yuriy knew people where Near didn't, and hopefully, Near knew more than enough about hacking to do some good. Because they probably had hours, not days, in which to find Matt.

"Give Kain a message. I want him to find out if anyone else at the base was involved or has plans to be involved with something like this. If it's the latter get rid of them. If not then I want them brought to me." he paused for a moment before his brain switched gears on him.

"I may have some potential information so watch for Sasha's call." because Mello simply didn't want to talk anymore. He closed the phone and glanced to Sasha who looked on curiously at him.

"I want you to get those cigarettes analyzed, and I don't care how. If we are lucky perhaps it will give us a name." but Mello's mind was not on the cigarettes but the contents of the fallen folder.

There would undoubtedly be nothing big in it, information wise, but it was all he had for the moment, and he would take what he got. But first he knew he had to call Near and inform him.

It had been a quick and to the point conversation, Mello not knowing what else to say at any rate, and Near had been more than willing to help. They both knew however, that he was not Matt so results were not guaranteed. Mello doubted anyone was like Matt.

After the phone was stuffed ungracefully into his jacket he bent down and snatched up the papers with a scratching sound as they slid across the floor. They were in no semblance of order, having been tossed halfway across the floor in all directions with boot marks across them, some his own and some not, with tear marks and holes.

He ignored Sasha's voice as he called up someone, probably another Mafiya member, and sat heavily on the wooden chair just inside the building with the stack of papers in hand and on the table.

The folder itself, from which they had spilled, was blank except for a small scrawled name that was indecipherable. He moved onto the mess of papers and despite the urgency of the situation forced himself not to merely skim. His eyes narrowed every so often in confusion as he read; there was mention of a shipping company at least once a page, but it was not one that Mello recognized. And surely he would have if it delivered, or had delivered to that area. And moreover, the documents were dated mere days ago, when the actual business that had required the deliveries of meat it was suggesting, had been closed for well over two months prior.

Normal authorities may not have checked into that, but Mello knew that something was not right, and he didn't believe in coincidence anymore. Matt being abducted two days after the earliest dated 'meat' delivery left a foul taste in Mello's mouth. That, along with the other seemingly random orders of things that a butchery would probably not need, had clenched the notion that the documents were related to the abduction somehow.

There were also mentions of board meetings, having been held and upcoming ones, that a place like a butchery wouldn't have not being the right type of business. At least not the kind of meeting's being talked about. Two of the times, and accompanying dates, had already passed and another was three days from then, so Mello took the closest one, a mere seven and a half hours away, and scanned the message all the way through again.

And then he noticed it with a slight barring of teeth. The letter 'L', in a seemingly random spot in the middle of a sentence, was capitalized when it shouldn't have been. There was also a vague reference to the mystery shipping company and Mello's eyes narrowed further.

That shipping company was probably a mention of the place where they would take Matt by L's orders, or a place in which they were taking him in which to meet L. If L saw Matt, Mello knew he would never see the redhead alive again. And according to the paper, if it were to be believed despite all the evidence pointing towards it being correct, there was only less than seven hours remaining before that happened.

Or before_ whatever_ had been planned for Matt happened.

He slipped almost silently from the building until he stood right beside Sasha. "I want you and everyone else to look into something else instead." Sasha looked slightly surprised but listened intently as Mello explained everything. He had Sasha pass it on to Yuriy even though the other gave him an odd look; Mello supposed it was odd as he generally didn't retract his orders. Then again, he didn't generally let his emotions get in the way either... not anything beyond anger at any rate.

"Follow me back to base." he muttered gruffly, not bothering to wait for an affirmative.

There were so many things going on at once, and Mello prayed he was focusing on the right one. He didn't bother to shut the lights off in the building as it wouldn't matter in the long run. Instead he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Near's number to explain things to him; Mello didn't want Yuriy wasting time having to tell Near everything.

His leg was slung over the side of the motorbike before the call had even connected and he was roaring down the sidewalk and onto the street before he had even finished their conversation.

If Yuriy gave Near any trouble then he knew the man would call him. He doubted it very much though, as his phone found his pocket without him crashing, as he had referred Near to Yuriy. Yuriy would not question Near so long as the request wasn't outlandish.

Mello knew someone was following him, and only glanced in the mirror once to make sure it was only Sasha. He would still go back to the base by the long route; if they were all found out at this stage everything would be meaningless.

Mello attempted to keep his mind clear for the drive but found it next to impossible with a thousand and one scenarios rushing across his mind. There were so many variables, so many things that could go wrong, could change...

So many things against them.

He grit his teeth and urged the machine faster, but not dangerously so, though he more than wanted to be there already.

The base was silent, as always, when he finally arrived. He walked the bike to the side and wandered though the same concealed entrance as before, knowing that Sasha would follow when done. He knew they would all be congregated in that same crappy room, not wanting the prying eyes of the Mafiya on them.

He barged in the room, Yuriy hardly looking at him as he conversed with Near on the phone, Near's responses partially heard though the speaker, and typed away at his laptop. Mello didn't bother with demanding to know if they had found anything, it would be told to him when and if anything was found.

Mello settled irritably onto the rotted crate and stared absently at the stain on the floor. Oh what he would have done to that man if he was still alive... he ignored Sasha as he came inside the room, the door opening quietly as opposed to his own loud entrance.

It was the waiting he hated most, being unable to do anything himself through his lack of talent in that area that was hacking. Mello despised feeling useless.

He sat there, time ticking away almost cruelly in its haste, and at first glance there appeared to be nothing on that company, as though it didn't exist as anything else other than the paper, but after more than two hours of searching something was found. Something that had Mello stalking out the door before Yuriy could finish speaking. If it was something important, something more than he had heard, he would be called or stopped.

There was a warehouse with the leasing made to that company and it was an hour away and in a slightly secluded spot. Too much time had already passed and Mello knew that there would be no time to plan, not seriously, if he wanted to make that seven hour deadline.

He noted how the car, pulled alongside his bike, blinked into life as he started the motorbike, and knew that by unspoken agreement that Sasha had followed him. Yuriy was needed by the computer and Kain was off with the Mafiya gathering intel.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl thought the entire drive. Mello had memorized the directions, Yuriy having gotten them and had them on screen for Mello to see while explaining, and had no problem navigating the twists and turns, especially when he got to the more secluded parts, houses miles and miles between one another and finally disappearing to a row of buildings, not quite together.

He skidded to a stop before the last turn, rolling his bike into the hidden brush of dead bushes and trees on the side of the road. As much as he would have loved to simply drive in there, gun blazing, not that what he would be doing was all that different, he simply didn't know how many people would be there.

He waited, impatiently, for Sasha to pull up and vacate the call before stalking off in the direction, he hoped, of the warehouse. It was cold out, his breath coming out in a white cloud, and he felt half frozen. He hadn't noticed it before, too much going on at the time, but with nothing but silence and darkness around him, the only light his cell pone, it was hard to concentrate on anything else. And perhaps he was the slightest bit thankful for that...

They slowed their pace once the looming structure came into view, only being seen by the way it blacked out the moonlight, not wanting to make too much noise on the gravel like road least they be immediately noticed. The structure, upon closer inspection, was well rusted and seemingly abandoned despite the few cars in the front, but Mello knew looks were very well deceiving.

Mello motioned for Sasha to stay put, outside, as he squeezed in through the small opening beside the door, impossible for most but Mello had never been one of stocky build; and if only for this once he was grateful.

He stilled once he was inside, but found the place still as silent as ever, and had to tread carefully least his boots make too much noise on the floor. He could only see in the vaguest amount but noticed nothing on the floor that would be kicked.

Mello slid through the darkness like a panther, silent and dangerous and despite his frustration reminded himself the entire place need to be searched. His fingers clenched around his phone, the small amount of light being his guide, until the sounds of multiple voices could be faintly heard.

It was difficult to follow, as the sounds echoed off the nearly hollow structure, but when he saw the light further down he knew he hadn't strayed in the wrong direction. His heart beat loud in his ears and his palms felt sweaty beneath his gloves, adrenaline flowing through him and bringing all his senses to high alert.

He inched as close to the doorway, where light spilled out almost blindingly, as he dared and listened to the men argue angrily about what L had ordered done with the captive without so much as looking at him. It made Mello's blood freeze.

They had buried him?

He controlled his breathing, hardly making a sound as he continued to listen in. L was sending a message out to known members of both big Russian Mafiya families, one that needed to be responded to. And whomever responded would be shown the video the grunts had taken of the beating the captive and told they were to reveal their Mafiya's location for the release of the person, not being told they only had a limited amount of time in which to do so before the air ran out in the jerry-rigged coffin.

Mello felt his anger flare but silenced his rage. Matt was buried and would soon be out of time. L probably would wait until an hour before the air ran out to contact the families, and that was only twenty minutes away; though L had to know that most would sacrifice their friends and family...

Matt's air would run out in just under an hour and a half. Mello only had that long to find him. He took a step back but his boot kicked something in the darkness and all the sounds around him stilled. Mello didn't allow himself to even breath but the second he heard the boots and chairs skittering he took off towards the exit, not caring about the noise he made.

Shots rang out around him as well as the men's shouting for him to stop; he would have been an idiot to listen to them. He whipped his gun out and shot randomly behind him as he navigated through the building, going on memory alone and when he finally noticed the opening the wall he sank to his knees and squeezed through it while they had to take the time to unlatch the doors.

Sasha rolled next to him in a hotwired car he had prepared, presumably at the first sound of gunfire. Most men would have busted in to help Mello but that would have only ended in both their deaths. Mello hopped in and they screeched down the gravel road.

Mello forced himself to let go of his gun and place the safety on before he stowed it in his pants. He wondered how loud they had been for Sasha to have heard them. Mello jerked foreword, hand going to the dashboard to stop from slamming into it, as Sasha skidded to a quick stop. "Get out. I'll keep them going in circles for a while." Mello looked at him for a second before reaching for the handle and getting out; his thoughts firmly on Matt.

He had barely shut the door before Sasha was off. Mello didn't wait to see if the idiots from the warehouse were still following and rushed off into the darkness of the brush to lie low. He heard the roar of engines and the crunching of gravel as it was crunched under the squealing tires of the speeding cars. He didn't dare move until he no longer heard them and immediately yanked his phone out.

"I need you to look for any nearby cemeteries that have had new plots dug recently and or a funeral within the last ten hours that didn't have many people attending it." Mello didn't bother to explain the situation at the moment, as it could just as easily be done later when there was more time to do so. Yuriy had barely gotten out an affirmative before he had ended the call. It would take him an hour to get back, but if the cemetery was in his area...

Mello hated being unsure, but figured that at least Yuriywas close to the base if he wasn't back in time. He wouldn't drive too fast in case he had to double back, but he couldn't simply stay put either. He snarled. He hated that situation so much...

He made sure to have his phone on the loudest setting and took off once he got to his bike. Hardly twenty minutes later his phone rang and he pulled to a stop to answer it.

"What do you have?" he barked, because there would be no way Yuriy would call and _not_ have something to tell him.

"There are six possibles that fit the description; two of them in the same cemetery and the others scattered about. One of them is about forty minutes from you, and another about ten minutes from that one. And the others... we'll get someone to check them." Mello shut his eyes and withheld the sigh of frustration.

"Send me the directions, I'll head to the first one now..." he closed the phone and waited until it prompted him that he had a new message on his e-mail. He took one look at the directions and promptly took off. He would need to break some damn laws if he wanted to get there in time.

Mello still couldn't believe they had buried him. He hadn't even thought of that possibility when he had noticed the coffin. It seemed that whenever it came to Matt, it was one blunder after another and perhaps Mello should simply be grateful nothing of the sort had happened to the redhead before now.

When he reached the small cemetery he didn't bother to slow down and simply drove passed the guard station, a tiny place where someone sat and made sure no one decided to steal corpses, and flew down the rows, getting lost once and wasting precious minutes before he found the plot.

Which was simply that. An open hole in the ground.

He cursed as it meant Matt wasn't there. Five more places for him to be. He looked at the other set of directions and hoped that he had already been found at one of the other locations, because he was going to end up being late.

Mello rode past the guard, who had chased him part-ways down the rows, and back onto the open road. The next one, a mere ten minutes away, was a much larger and less private cemetery. The wind whipped his hair in all directions and he ignored all traffic lights encountered in the far more populated areas. He didn't have time to worry about the other drivers.

He almost passed the entrance of the cemetery in his haste but with a sharp turn, nearly colliding with the stone wall that surrounded it in the process, he made it. He slowed a bit, the cemetery being far more confusing than the last, and rode carefully down the rows. His heart was in his throat and he was so damn nervous, a feeling he was unaccustomed with, that his body shook. The spot he wanted was in the middle and even he knew better than to drive across the graves with his bike. Especially in the dark, near dawn.

He searched as quickly as he could, bike shut off and left leaned against a gravestone, and his breath stuck as he saw the filled in plot. He sincerely hoped Matt wasn't in there, because he doubted he could dig that out in five minutes.

His phone vibed as he looked for a shovel, one being left about ten plots to the left, and the message stated that two other locations had come up with nothing, leaving half unchecked. The percentage that Matt was buried there had just gone up. And Mello didn't like those odds at all.

Mello took a small breath and started in on the dirt covering what he hoped wasn't Matt. It was easy, at first, to simply fling the dirt in all directions, but as it got deeper it took longer to get the dirt out of the way. His phone vibrated and one more location was out. It was in the fifty percentile...

His breath came in soft gasps and he dug as quickly as he could. He was almost two minutes over the time. It would still be possible for Matt to be alive, no matter where he was, as the coffin's air supply would gradually run out once the system feeding the air stopped. Mello just didn't know how quickly 'gradually' actually was...

His phone vibrated again and he could hardly breathe. Matt was with _him_. "Fucking hell!" Mello swore and though his limbs burned he shoved he shovel into the dirt again and again.

His shovel hit something and he froze for a precious few seconds. He hit a spot near it to make sure it wasn't simply a rock, and again the shovel thumped against something. Mello put the shovel aside and quickly brushed the remaining dirt from the top of the coffin before frantically knocking the lock off that had kept the lid shut. He was disheartened by the lack of response from inside. There should have been banging, pleas for help, yelling, _something_.

But there was silence even as he called out Matt's name multiple times. He pried the lock off, it getting caught on the bent handle, and heaved open the top.

Mello's breath caught in his chest at Matt's bruised and bloodied form. There was a large cut just over his eyebrow, like some heavy object had caught him there, and many smaller cuts that tore at his clothing. But what really caught Mello's eye, was how utterly _still_ Matt was. So still in fact, that he didn't appear to be breathing.

But Mello didn't allow himself to panic just yet, it would do him no good, especially in that situation. He quickly checked for a pulse and felt fear rise to the surface when he didn't immediately find one. He placed his hands on the redhead's chest and brought his lips nearly all the way to Matt's before he felt it, a tiny exhale of breath, so small and infrequent that his breathing couldn't have been regular for some time beforehand.

He paused there, wanting more than anything for it to be real and not something out of a hallucination and was rewarded with a few more extremely shallow breaths, each one getting slightly deeper. "Matt?" he shook the redhead gently and called his name loudly twice more. He bit his lip and wondered how long it would be before Matt's body caught up to the fact that there was more than enough air to breath.

Mello could already see his chest moving more steadily up and down, taking slow and shuddering breaths without hardly making a sound.

Mello didn't really want Matt to wake whilst still in the coffin, but he equally didn't want to risk moving him and have Matt wake while he was trying to lift him from the grave. If he dropped Matt it would only further aggravate what injuries he already had...

Matt took a loud and choked breath as his eyelids fluttered; he thrashed slightly and finally took a sharp breath as his eyes snapped open. "Matt calm down, you're fine now." he told the redhead soothingly. He pulled Matt into his arms and held the redhead as he came back to awareness, still struggling weakly for a few moments before relaxing heavily in his arms.

"Mello... you came..." Matt whispered and his weak grip on the blond tightened. Mello finally let his worries slide away as Matt was awake and, relatively OK, in his arms. He was so damn tired and drained from the past few days, but damn if it all wasn't worth it just to see him again.

"Of course I came to get you. Fucking idiot..." he told the redhead. If he had been any later, had found the connection a little slower, Matt _would_ have died. He would have been digging out a corpse. And it would have _killed _him.

Mello pulled away slightly, Matt looking at him unsteadily, and grasped Matt's face in his hands, kissing him before he could talk himself out of it. He had wanted to kiss those lips for so damn long but had always invented reasons not to. The main one being that keeping Matt at a distance would keep him safe. That obviously hadn't worked out so well...

He broke the kiss shortly after, Matt having trouble breathing as it was, and Matt panted heavily in the near silence but there was a large grin on his bruised face. "Maybe I should have gotten abducted sooner if it made you do this..." Matt joked lightly, leaning heavily against him again.

"Idiot..." he murmured into Matt's hair. "We have to get you out of here, especially before the guard see's me walking off with you. I don't need to be arrested for grave robbing."

Matt snorted and winced as he was lifted out of the coffin.

It was by no means easy getting them both out of the hole, especially with Matt being so weak and completely useless as help, but Mello managed after a few tried and using the shovel to make a few footholds in the sides of the grave to help him.

And maybe it was cruel to make the others wait, especially Near, but Mello knew he had to get Matt out of there before the guard came, and before anyone else came snooping. Mello settled Matt onto the bike, Matt slumping against his chest completely boneless.

Mello gently kissed his ear and felt Matt's contented sigh, despite how tired and in pain he must be. It wasn't the time for any deeper talks... but later, when Matt was at least bandaged and had slept... then they could figure out where exactly they were going in terms of a possible relationship; but only then.

Mello rolled into a start and smirked at the shouts of the guard, whose flashlight hit his shoulder and missed his face, and he rode them out of there. It had been close, but he was bringing Matt home.

And despite that, Mello's gaze darkened. L was _going_ to pay dearly for messing with Matt.

**-End _Breaking_- **

**AN:** *feels like falling over* I wrote 3016 words of this in one go. I about DIED. Lol. But i'm happy at this point, I FINALLY know where the hell this fic is headed (It hadnt had an ending planned at all until now)

All I can say is prepare for epicness. :)

**9/10:** Um... XD I had no idea what the chapter was about until I edited it as its been MONTHS since I wrote it. Other than that... if someone wanted (though i doubt it) could they possibly draw Mello and Matt in the coffin scene? That would be awesome... or really any fanart would be awesome... XD

**Special thanks to reviewers _(holy crap I had a lot XD, tnk u_**_!):_ amos222, Misha2011, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, Living in a fantasy, Bokmal14, MeteorMello, foreverunloved, KaiyaMinPop, Angelic-Spirals, Slayers64, critter141151, SuperSaiyanKiri, schoolkid, Zellicy, Chasing, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, Deadly Nightshade1395, hobomara, chiakaiyuki, 9shadowcat9

review?


	24. Chapter 20: Home

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the epicness called Death Note

**AN**: Yes, I updated before a week, crazy I know. But since I got such a nice response (and I edited this yesterday) I decided to post. And I had a few responses for fanart, which I love btw. XD. Yeah... if anyone wants to do (more) fanart for ANY of the chapters or scenes now or to come thats more than fine by me. We all know im a fanart whore. XD

Oh and look for the special note on the bottom! Lol. It's nothing bad, I promise. :)

**Suggested Listening**: Angel on my Shoulder **by** Kaskade (original mix); Midnight Heartache **by** September**;** Into the Night **by** Chad Kroger and Santana

**Chapter Twenty**: _Home _

Mello sat on the edge of the bed and watched Matt's chest move up and down as his soft breaths filled the silence of the room. He knew Matt would be alright, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of him no matter how much the doctor had assured him.

He took in the bandages that were wrapped around Matt's otherwise naked chest, and the ones that went around his head as well as the brace on his wrist and could imagine the stitches he had on his leg, though the sweatpants were in the way. And all the bruises that the darkness of the room hid, lit only by the open curtain filtering in moonlight, and couldn't help but be thankful it wasn't worse.

Mello sighed softly and carefully removed himself from the bed, not wanting to jar the sleeping redhead. It was better that he sleep as much as he could especially as he would be in pain when he woke. And probably a little disoriented because of his concussion...

Mello pulled the blankets over the redhead before he forced himself from the room. He couldn't just stay there despite how much he wanted too. He had a few things to tie up before he could lie down and rest.

The only thing he had done thus far was briefly call Near to tell him Matt was relatively alright. He didn't know what, if anything, Kain had found out so far. He didn't know where Sasha was, and he certainly didn't know if that damn doctor had been silenced yet.

It was rather regrettable to have to kill the man, but Mello didn't want anymore people knowing who Matt was or what he looked like than already did. The less information that was in circulation the better.

He shut the door behind him and didn't have to go far to get back to his men as he had taken Matt to the base. As much as it was a risk for others of seeing him, taking him back to their apartment and having him treated there was worse. No one knew where they lived and he wanted to keep it that way, though he would need to make sure there was more security now...

He walked in to Yuriy talking softly to Kain and the moment he was noticed there was an awkward silence. His eyes narrowed suspiciously but Yuriy merely sighed. Mello noticed the tension in the mans shoulders and the way his face seemed to have ages a few years. Then again, lack of sleep and the rush of the last few hours would have done it too.

Kain stayed where he was silently seated in the corner of the room, the main room of Mello's private quarters at the base, while Yuriy walked up to him. "I've got news on Sasha. He was run off the road and shot four times in the chest."

Mello's eyes rose upwards. He honestly hadn't expected that. He felt a small flicker of remorse, as he _had_ helped save Matt, but it went no further than that. He had been loyal, but his life was not worth more than Matt's, and the other two seemed to realize that as well.

Mello didn't like death, if it was avoidable, but he was beyond the part of caring for everyone who was killed by him or someone else. He would have gone insane otherwise...

"Thank you for your help." he stated simply and Yuriy looked startled, too surprised to do anything other than nod. He wasn't one to praise his men, or thank them or really be nice to them. Not if he wanted to keep control over them. But for Yuriy and Kain he would make an exception.

If only for this once.

"I assume none of the abductors have been found?" he drawled and took a bite of chocolate, a bar he had hidden in his pocket from earlier when he had watched the doctor clean Matt up, had seen the damage done..

"Correct. They may have made some rather critical mistakes before but either they are being directed by an outside party now or they have been gotten rid of by other means." and Mello didn't need clarification on that either. It was entirely possible that L had them all killed for their failure.

Mello knew he would have.

He frowned at that. He didn't want to compare himself to that monster, and did not want to be similar in any way to the man who had started all of this. "Go get some rest. I'll be here if those idiots need anything." Mello muttered to two of them, referring to the rest of the Mafiya.

He turned from them and headed back into the room where Matt was. There was nothing left to do out there for now, nothing that was required of him at any rate. He pulled out his phone and texted Near the list of injuries Matt had sustained, nothing too bad all things considered, though there had been some concerning marks on his lower body.., before he turned it off. If someone needed him they would simply have to come and get him.

He tugged off his boots and crawled carefully onto the bed, as to not jar Matt's bruised ribs, and laid down on his side next to him. He breathed in a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He was so damn tired... and it couldn't hurt to rest for a little bit...

.

Mello woke up the moment the bed moved. It hadn't been a large movement, but having been so absolutely still for so long the small amount of movement was like an earthquake to him. Matt's eyes were squinted and a little unfocused as he blinked rapidly in the sunlit room. It was probably somewhere around mid-morning or afternoon going from the amount of light inside.

His groggy expression was different from the sleepy grin he had given Mello when he'd found him, but Mello supposed it was simply his bodies reaction to getting some actual stress free and unforced rest rather than the shutdown it had been forced into before.

Matt patted gently next to him, and Mello realized he probably wanted his goggles. With a sigh Mello made to get up only to have Matt attempt at sitting. "Fuck!" Matt moaned and clutched at his side in agony from the strain. He rolled his eyes as Matt attempted to curl into himself, probably about to do more harm than good with the action.

"You should have known better than that Matt.." he told the redhead softly, drawing attention to himself, not that he minded after the smile he received, even though it was a little unsure. Mello felt a little awkward himself, not quite sure what to do with himself and eventually settled on gently forcing Matt to lie back rather that stay curled up.

"You have bruised ribs, now lie still." he told the redhead; his tone firm and for once Matt seemed perfectly content to listen. He reached over Matt's body and grabbed, the now clean, goggles from the nightstand before carefully placing them on the redhead, mindful of the bandages there.

"Thanks..." Matt mumbled as his fingers brushed against the sides of the redheads face. He had a rather large purple looking bruise on his cheek, already turning yellow on the edges, that looked like it had probably gotten the bone. Mello let his eyes wander across the abused flesh, glaring at the cuts and bruises that adorned the front of Matt's body, those being the only ones noticeable at the moment.

"I'm a mess right?" Matt's voice was raspy, unnoticeable before through the whisper, and he watched as Matt winced. Mello wondered if he had been struck in the throat area but it simply hadn't bruised. Or if it was an under-the-skin type. He trailed his fingers, almost not quite touching, across the flesh of Matt's neck and grinned as he only shivered. It at least wasn't painful to light touch.

"Yeah... you are. But you'll heal." Mello finally replied. Matt gave him a small grin, stopping from a larger one as his split lips stretched and pulled at the injury, and relaxed further into the bed.

"Mello... tell me I wasn't hallucinating last night when you kissed me.." Matt trailed off though his voice was serious, cautious. Mello blinked. It hadn't even occurred to him that Matt would think that way... that Matt might have had an even worse time than he had imagined for the thought he might have hallucinated to have even crossed his mind.

"You weren't." he told the redhead firmly before leaning in to place a kiss at the corner of his mouth. Matt sighed and gave him a look that said 'you missed' but Mello simply ignored it and smirked when Matt's stomach chose that moment to growl painfully. Matt frowned slightly before grudgingly looking up at Mello as innocently as he could muster.

Mello shook his head and simply grinned. "I'll go get you something. And forget the innocent look, you fail horribly at it." Matt attempted to laugh but only ended up letting out a pained whine. Matt had either not heard him earlier, or had chosen to ignore him when he had been told his ribs were bruised.

Matt placed a hand on Mello's arm to stop him, as he started to slide from the bed, and pulled him down for a kiss; Mello's heart skipped a beat in his chest at the touch of those split lips on his. It must have hurt Matt to kiss him, but the redhead didn't seem to mind as he sighed contentedly, arms coming to slowly wrap around Mello's waist.

Mello was careful not to let any of his weight lean against Matt's battered form, and though his arms ached at the odd angle they were positioned, he didn't move even after their lips had parted. Matt's breathing was slightly elevated though not as bad as the night before. It was only then that Mello noticed that Matt's bare fingertips had found the exposed portion of skin between his vest and pants and was tracing something unidentifiable onto him.

Matt looked at him sheepishly though he didn't seem to have any intention of removing them. "Did you want me to get food or simply keep you company?" Mello asked with a raised eyebrow, though he found it so incredibly odd to be completely at ease around Matt when he hadn't been really spoken much to him and Near for such a long time now...

"Why don't we just go home? It would certainly be more comfortable there. We have food there, and I know you're at least half as tired as I feel, your eyes show it, so I know you could use the rest..." Matt trailed off. And though Matt couldn't pull off being innocent, he did the kicked puppy routine rather well. Mello sighed heavily, allowing his head to bow, hair falling to tickle Matt's face.

"Fine. But I have to take care of a few small things first." Matt looked dubiously at him as he relinquished his hold on Mello, but Mello gave him a grin. He honestly wouldn't be all that long. He simply had to make sure someone knew he wouldn't be there anymore.

He opened the bedroom door and strode out into the main room only to stop at the sight of Yuriy on his laptop whilst being stretched out on the small couch. He was in a different set of clothing so Mello could only assume he had gotten at least a little rest.

"You slept for a long time, usually you can only stand five or six hours." Yuriy commented as he glanced over at him. That made Mello pause. Just how long had he been asleep for? Obviously not long enough though if he still felt tired.

"Are you up for running things for a while?" he questioned. He didn't really have time for idle talk. The situation wasn't dire, like it had been before, but he still wanted to leave, if only for Matt's sake.

"Yeah. It's not like I haven't run things here before. You can keep track from home, or wherever you are taking him." Yuriy told him with a small smirk. Mello rolled his eyes. "Just don't fuck up. My patience is running thin these days."

Yuriy snorted, obviously disbelieving him with his good mood, though Mello knew Yuriy would do his damndest not to screw anything up. Mello had to wonder if he was only letting the off day happen because of all the stress the previous few had given all of them. He supposed it really didn't matter in the end.

He gathered a few things together, important documents that had been left to pile up, and placed them in a bag to take back to the apartment. His eyes scanned the room for a second before he remembered he'd taken his boots off in the room. With nothing left to get ready he was back inside with Matt, the door closed, in less than two seconds.

"That was quick." Matt mumbled. Mello noticed that his voice was heavier, his body even more relaxed, as though he had been in the first stages of falling back asleep. It actually wouldn't have surprised him. Matt would be doing a lot of that, for the next few days at the least, as his body began to recover.

"If you want to go home then you have to be dressed, so let's get on with it." Mello watched darkly as Matt grinned slightly at his comment, though he couldn't see what had been so amusing. He simply gave up and drug out a simple black t-shirt, one of the few he kept should he sleep there as leather was not comfortable, and slid down next to Matt.

Matt didn't need to be told anything to understand what was needed and he began to move, albeit very slowly, into a seat position with Mello's help. Mello felt him shake beneath his fingertips, and noticed that the redhead seemed the slightest bit paler than before. If he didn't know that Matt honestly wanted to leave the base, he would have simply told him to suck it up and that they would be staying.

He slid the shirt over Matt's arms, feeling a surprising amount of sympathy as Matt released a groan of pain, and over his head to quickly yank it over his torso. Matt leaned against him, almost boneless, and Mello simply let him have a moment to get the pain back down. He knew how much bruised ribs could hurt. Though the wounds on his back couldn't have felt all that wonderful either.

He was glad Matt was already in pants, as he was sure that wouldn't have gone over well, and simply shoved on Matt's boots and his vest over the shirt, the latter with more small exclamations of pain; though Matt had tried to keep himself quiet.

Mello eyed the redhead carefully, taking in his attire, and decided that Matt would at least be alright for the drive home; he shoved his keys into his pocket and moved over Matt. As he lifted the redhead he was once again surprised at how light he was.

"You need to eat more..." he mumbled almost silently, and though Matt hadn't appeared to have heard him, he knew he had. Mello sighed and nodded to Yuriy, after he had kicked the bedroom door open, and grabbed the bag full of papers whilst not jerking Matt too much. He silently thanked Yuriy as the older man opened the main door for him to leave. Mello stuck to the lesser used corridors and made it out with no one seeing him, though there had been a close call.

The hard part was getting Matt situated onto the bike. "Fuck!" Matt groaned as he was jostled too much and his ribs angered. Mello settled himself behind Matt and resisted the odd urge to wrap his arm around him, and instead made Matt's back rest against his chest as he grabbed the handles and started up the machine. He felt Matt instantly tense as the vibrations ran through him. As much as Mello disliked Matt being in pain, the redhead would simply have to take it if he wanted to go.

"You're going to have to deal with this unless you want to wait until I feel comfortable leaving you on your own to come back with your car." Matt smirked, turning his gaze upwards to blatantly show it, at his admission and Mello stubbornly refused to look away despite his uncomfortableness at the admission.

It was strange to him, despite having desired Matt for so long, to actually have the chance to be so... caring towards him. It was so very intimate and awkward for him, but Mello knew that it would fade with time.

His lips tugged into a small smile at the thought. He could get used to spending more time with the redhead...

Mello made sure Matt was secured in his arms before he rolled them away from base, going at a speed that for him, was like crawling. But he didn't want to hurt Matt anymore than he already was. And even though speeding would have gotten them home quicker, it also would have irritated Matt's wounds more.

It was a lose lose situation either way, one just had less to lose.

The air was cool, stinging almost, despite the brightly lit sun that hung above them;but Mello paid it no mind as he drove onwards, Matt shivering in his arms. His fur vest was fine for inside his car, but really wasn't all that great for bike rides, not with the missing sleeves it had. Matt's body had already been through so much in the past few days and Mello hated adding to it, and hoped it wouldn't cause any further problems. The straw that broke the camels back as it were.

Matt was silent for the entire ride there, and despite his hope that the redhead had perhaps fallen asleep, he knew Matt was awake by the flinch his body gave as the engine cut off in the parking space. He maneuvered Matt back into his arms, leaving his bag with the bike for a later retrieval, and hauled him up to their shared apartment with Near.

Mello honestly wondered how Near was doing, as he hadn't been in direct contact with him other than to quickly give information, or text him. He shoved the key into the door and quickly entered the disarm-code for the alarm system as the door swung inward.

"Mello, put me on the couch." Matt practically whispered and despite not liking orders being given to him, he _was _a Mafiya boss, he did so instinctively for the redhead; from the way Matt's arms clung close to his body, his ribs were hurting him again. It would take a few more days before he got used to the constant ache and pains of them, and what he could and couldn't do until they had healed more.

It wasn't a serious injury, but it was painful, like that of a paper cut on ones fingertip.

He gently deposited Matt onto the couch, and despite the non-verbal protest, devised him of the vest and boots before he let him lie back against the armrest. He sighed softly at Matt's closed eyes and headed into his room. Though he didn't sleep much there, his comforter was very warm and more than large enough to drape across the couch.

He tugged it from his bed and marched back out into the main room to lay it across Matt, who looked up at him with a small smile. "You stay here and be a lazy bastard while I find something to make for lunch." he told Matt as he grabbed the television remote from the table and handed it to the redhead.

"Thanks Mello." Matt yawned around his words and it occurred to him, something completely unrelated to the current situation, that Matt probably hadn't had anything to drink for quite some time. Though if his memory served correct, and he knew it was, Matt didn't drink anything that didn't come out of a can, loaded with caffeine or was sugar filled. None of which would be good for him at the moment.

Mello was already guilty of having gotten him into the situation that created his injuries, and he simply wouldn't tolerate them getting worse while on his watch. He searched through the cabinets, glowering as he picked up a can of Matt's energy drinks; one that was of a different brand than the ones he had forced Matt to get rid of. His shoulders slumped slightly as he grudgingly picked up a bottle of water and stalked, almost silently, back into the main room and presented both drinks to the channel flipping redhead.

He dangled the energy drink in front of Matt's face and watched as goggled eyes locked onto it; it was impossible to read him with the plastic in the way, as well as the green of his eyes being obscured, but they were still clearly visible at such a close range.

"You can have this, if and only if, you drink a bottle of water with it." he told Matt as he dropped the water into view. Matt grinned at him, a little sheepishly, before simply grabbing the water, albeit the movement was slow and Mello wondered if his arm had been injured, and carefully twisted the cap off, sipping it almost greedily.

Mello's features softened ever so slightly before he gently ruffled the others hair as he placed the energy drink on the floor where the redhead could reach it should he want to; he then proceeded back into the kitchen for the promised food.

And truth be told, Mello was a little more than hungry himself.

He knew that Matt should start off with something light, since his system was odd at the moment, and he quickly settled on making soup, a hearty non-greasy vegetable one, on the stovetop.

There was more than one can in there, and Mello thought to add the other one into the pot, with a small bit of tap water to make it not as thick, as well as a bit of pepper, and set it to heat up.

It wouldn't take all that long, the pot being medium sized, so he didn't stray from the burner until the steam had risen from the food and it was almost at a near boil. On the off chance that it wasn't completely heated, he stirred it and took a small taste, and once satisfied with it, he gathered three bowls and filled them with the soup. He took out a piece of bread for Near and left it beside the smallest bowl.

Near never ate all that much, and when it came to salty things, soups included, he preferred something to cleanse the pallet along with the meal. It was odd, but Mello knew they all had their own mess of quirks so he had no room to complain.

His lips twitched into a tired smirk. He wondered if he would still be as unbothered by Near had it not been for Matt and his accidental find. But Mello doubted it. If anything, that was one good thing that had come of the L problem.

And Matt, he supposed, as he set his gaze on him as he approached with the soup, was the other. Had they still been at Wammys, and unaware of L's treachery, he knew he would have been too consumed with jealousy and competition to have ever started anything with the redhead, if he would have even realized his feelings.

Because Mello was certain that no matter how their lives had ended up, so long as Matt was by his side, he would have grown to care for him as he had. It was impossible not to.

He stopped A few feet away from the couch, when he finally noticed Near, as the albino sat on the floor by Matt's head and was speaking softly to him, so softly in fact that Mello couldn't understand what was being said. He did however notice that the whispering had stopped the moment Near noticed him there. Mello narrowed his eyes, smirk gone.

"It's ok Near, it doesn't matter if he hears you, right Mello?" Matt commented tiredly, having obviously understood the reason for Near's sudden silence. He cocked his head to the side as Matt looked up at him.

"How am I supposed to know, I have no idea what the conversation is about."

Matt flushed a little and Mello cut him some slack with the concussion he still sported. "Eat this and I'll think about giving you back your cigarettes." he motioned to the soup in his other hand. The moment he placed it on the table by Matt he stole an upside down kiss from the redhead and watched as Near simply murmured 'so that's why' rather than seeming surprised.

He wondered if Matt had told Near about them but dismissed it as it didn't make sense for Near to cease talking then. Mello decided he simply didn't care, Matt had made no move to hide the conversation so it wasn't something he should be concerned over.

Mello grabbed his and Near's soup, figuring that if Near didn't want it he could simply reheat it later, and brought it to the main room, where Mello was slightly amused at watching Matt move the bowl to his stomach and use it as a table. Near accepted the bowl with the tiniest quirk of the lips and that was all Mello needed to know that the albino had been hungry.

He moved away from the two to sit at Matt's computer, which was off into hibernation mode, as Matt channel surfed and slowly ate his soup. He finally settled on some, what Mello assumed, was scifi movie and let the remote drop to the floor with a soft clatter.

He waited until Matt had stopped eating to quickly finish his own soup before he collected the empty bowls, including Near's half empty one, and left them in the sink to be washed later; he had no will to do them at the moment.

Mello made a move to sit back at the computer desk when Matt muttered his name softly. He paused by the couch and looked down. "Sit with me?" Matt asked with a lazy grin. Mello sighed and shuffled, practically stepping over Near, to the end of the couch, but Matt had other ideas as he carefully scooted further down.

Mello arched and eyebrow as Matt's feet moved into the only open cushion available, and stared at Matt for a long moment as Matt had struggled into a seated position, comforter bunched up by his waist. He hesitated, but sat where Matt's head had been and wasn't all that surprised when Matt placed his head onto his lap.

It was an odd situation, one he hadn't been in before, and he was unsure of what, if anything, was expected of him. His fingers curled and uncurled for a moment before he finally decided to move them to Matt's hair.

Matt made a small noise of contentment and closed his eyes as his scalp was gently massaged. Mello turned his attention to the movie, something about an underwater station with people mutating into monsters, and when he eventually looked down again, Matt was completely relaxed in sleep.

His lips curled into a soft smile and he carefully extracted his fingers from the red hair and moved his hand to the arm rest. He flinched as something cold brushed against his arm and he glanced down at Near, who was looking dead at him with his solitary eye. He leaned himself, as much as he could without jostling Matt, over the side of the couch.

"Mello is in a relationship with Matt." Near stated, though it was difficult to tell if it had been intended as a statement or not.

"It's a new development..." he muttered quietly to the albino, who had yet to remove his gaze.

"Is Mello simply testing the waters?"

It took him a moment to grasp what Near had meant, and his confusion melted away to anger in an instant. How dare Near imply that he was using Matt as mere entertainment- but he stopped his train of thought abruptly. Near had no way of knowing what he felt at all... he was hardly around, and it was only because Matt was persistent that they still had any bond at all, and Near was probably only concerned about Matt..

"No." he muttered as loud as he dared. Near continued to simply look at him for a few more moments before a slight nod of his head had him playing with a small robot.

"Good." was all that was uttered.

Mello assumed their conversation was over and leaned back into the couch, his back protesting at having been at the odd angle for so long. He couldn't blame Near. Because really, when had he ever showed that he cared, about either of them, since they were kids? Revenge had consumed him so completely, and the almost absurd urge to protect them, that he had almost lost them in the process.

Though perhaps... it wasn't too late to try and fix things.

"Hey Near?" he called softly. The albino gave him his undivided attention, with the exception of the slight twisting of his hair. "Do you want to play cards?" and from Near's expression, he was more than willing. They hadn't played in years...

But as Mello watched the albino unseat himself and leave to retrieve a pack of cards, he knew Near didn't mind all that much anymore. Mello knew everything between the three of them was far from perfect, but he wasn't going to let it stay that way... not anymore.

**-End _Home_-**

**AN:** omg this chapter was waaaaay longer than intended... and yeah, there is a line in here that foreshadows future events... first person (or only person) who can guess it gets a oneshot (within my writing abilities, meaning MxM or MelloxNear or MattxNear or BBxMatt or character self love. XD)

Also... I'd like to ask how many people would be interested in reading the (so far STILL untitled) mpreg (the one with summary featured on my profile) that i'll be posting? I'm still gonig to post it even if i only get one review (which would be depressing but w/e) but i'm curious. Some of my friends will only read it since i'm the one doing it...thats good I think, right?... XD

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Seith, Cheerful-Pessimist, Raven-and-Ray, schoolkid, Zellicy, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, Diamone, hobomara, foreverunloved, Misha2011, MeteorMello, Slayers64, Deadly Nightshade1395, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, Pika Pants, SuperSaiyanKiri, KaiyaMinPop, 9shadowcat9, Living in a fantasy, BehindHappyFaces

**Review?**


	25. Chapter 21: Promise

**Disclaimer**: I dont own Death Note, no mansex right? So it's not mine.

**AN**: Sorry for this being so late... i was tired on tuesday when i started editing this, and i knew i'd leave a lot of errors if i posted it as is, so i made you wait another day. XD

**Suggested Listening**: Time to Play **by** Metro Station**;** Strange Boy **by** Kerli

**Chapter Twenty-One**: _Promise _

Mello woke groggily to the feeling of heat all around him. It wasn't exactly an unpleasant feeing, simply odd. Just as odd as the slightly cooler breaths against his bare chest. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and wondered just how he had gotten so much sleep, once again, that the sun was out.

The sensation of weight on him finally filtered into his senses and he looked down to find Matt asleep on his chest, which surprised him a little. He had brought the redhead into his bedroom the night before but they had been on separate sides of the bed. How they had ended up in the middle, and like that with Matt's injuries, was a mystery.

Mello didn't mind though.

He closed his eyes again, though he was most certainly awake, and simply lay there in wait for Matt to wake up, whenever that might be. Matt's breaths were soft, almost tickling, on his chest, and it wasn't hard to notice the change when they became deeper, but not that of sleep.

He watched as Matt's eyes fluttered open, very slowly, and green eyes locked onto his briefly before something about 'goggles' was muttered. Mello snorted softly and stretched as much as their position would allow in order to grab the aforementioned plastic. He even went as far as to place them on the redhead and felt oddly warmed at the silent look of gratitude he received.

He brought his lips to Matt's hesitantly and felt as Matt settled even deeper into his arms. It was probably horrible of him to think, but he was almost glad that L had Matt abducted. Matt's almost death had shaken him so deeply that it had allowed him to make a move that had ended in them starting... whatever it was they had. Mello knew that he was too stubborn to have done so otherwise.

Mello moved his fingers though Matt's hair and felt him wince through the kiss, the lump on his head obviously bothering him. He sighed and gently flipped the redhead underneath him, taking care not to injure him more than he already was. Matt settled again and lifted shaky arms to settle around his neck. Mello found that he liked the gentle weight across his flesh, pushing him closer against those split lips.

He drew back after another moment, tongue darting out to lick at Matt's bottom lip, and simply watched Matt's half lidded eyes through the goggles. "What a way to wake up." Matt mumbled with a lazy smirk. Mello rolled his eyes and knew that Matt was fine if he was making comments like that. He had never held back before, when they had taken the time to talk, and it had slightly disturbed him that Matt had been so silent the day before.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, there are things that need to get done." he mumbled and watched as Matt's expression fell slightly. "I'm only taking a shower and getting breakfast..." he trailed off. Though he supposed it had sounded as though he had Mafiya business. He couldn't blame Matt really.

"I'm even going to let you smoke so just lie here and behave yourself for a while." Mello supposed he should have been offended at Matt's response to the mention of cigarettes, but he knew how addicted the redhead was to the disgusting things.

"Go do what you have to, I'll be fine for a while.." Matt told him with a slightly wider grin. Mello wondered just what Matt would do, as Mello didn't have a television in his room, and he hadn't brought any of Matt' games in their either, but decided he didn't really care. Matt was perfectly capable of entertaining himself.

Mello crawled off of the redhead, aware that Matt watched his every move, and gathered clothes for after his shower; though perhaps it might have been amusing to waltz in there with nothing but a towel to cover himself. However he didn't feel like walking into Near in that state, and the albino was simply far too silent for his own good.

He showered quickly, though savored the scalding heat that soothed his tensed muscles, and enjoyed how hot the bathroom became from the steam. He wiped a part of the mirror clear and frowned as the ugly marred side of his face came into view. He quickly wiped more of the mirror clear and stared at his refection for a moment before shaking his head. Whatever Matt's reasons were, he wasn't about to complain...

Gooseflesh pimpled across his exposed skin as he exited the bathroom and the change in temperature hit him full force; it felt like winter inside the apartment. He shivered slightly and moved to the thermostat to adjust the heat. It may have just been him, because of the shower, but he wasn't about to be uncomfortable.

He stretched, letting his bones pop loudly and his muscles loosen comfortably, before he silently peeked into his room to find Matt's head turned to the side and his breathing slow. Mello rolled his eyes; how typical of Matt to go back to sleep. But the redhead needed it so he wouldn't accuse him of simply being lazy.

It was probably a good thing too. It gave him time to prepare a better breakfast rather than toaster pastries which would have been served had Matt been awake and waiting. Mello frowned at his own actions but continued on to search through the cabinets and refrigerator to see what there was to use.

He settled on taking out the makings for omelets: peppers, cheese, eggs, black pepper, salt and salsa. He was surprised Matt had bought half of that and wondered what the redhead had planned on making. It was probably a good thing he had decided to cook, as the peppers would have gone bad soon. Though to be honest, he was getting tired of omlettes.

Mello searched for a rubber band and quickly pulled his hair back to the nap of his neck, though his bangs still slid into his eyes constantly. He cracked eggs and dumped the innards into a silver bowl until he felt there was enough for the three of them, and whisked it to his desired consistency before starting on the peppers. He heard soft shuffling, decided it was Near, and continued to chop the red and green peppers into tiny bite sized pieces.

"Mello is up late." Near commented, his shuffling stopping beside him, though not in any way close enough to get in his way.

"I can't understand it either." he mumbled, his concentration mostly on the knife and not chopping his fingers off. He sped up his motions slightly and dumped the peppers straight into the egg mixture when finished. He added black pepper and salt before getting a skillet out and heating it.

"Are you going to eat one Near?" he questioned the albino next to him, and when he received no verbal answer he turned to Near, who had tilted is head to the side, and stared at him.

"There's more than enough here if you want one." he continued, though his tone had gown darker in the end; Near had better not get used to this, because Mello certainly wasn't about to do this everyday.

He _could_ cook, but it didn't mean he _liked_ to. He was only doing it since Matt was injured... that and if they left the coking up to Near they'd all starve.

"One shall be sufficient." Near told him at last. Mello resisted the urge to sneer at the fluff ball in front of him and instead poured a small amount of the mixture, about the amount Near would eat, and cooked it until he was able to fold it in half, and served it shortly after. He had the temperature on too high as it had cooked too quickly, nearly burning it.

Near took the plate offered and wandered out of the kitchen, perhaps to his customary spot in the main room, but Mello didn't mind, he knew it bothered Near to stand or walk for too long, or even sit sometimes.

He dumped a far larger amount in the skillet for the second one, this one being for Matt, and made sure, with how thick it was, that it had cooked all the way before setting it aside to make his own. Once it was done, and plated, he put the dishes in the sink and left them for later, along with the ones he had not done the night before...

Mello piled salsa on top of Matt's, never quite understanding _how_ he could eat it like that, and took it to his room. Matt's eyes were open, a grin on his face, at the sight, or probably more accurately smell, of food. He sat down beside the redhead and set the plat on Matt's stomach as he had seen Matt do the day before.

"What, you're not going to feed me?" Matt questioned innocently; about as innocently as someone with a devious smirk on their face could.

"Continue to make comments like that and you will not like what happens." he snarled, though Matt hardly looked put off, smiling wider. How, in the course of under twenty-four hours, had Mello lost his edge with the redhead?

_When you kissed him_, his brain immediately supplied. Right, so he had brought it upon himself? Lovely.

He savagely cut into a piece of his omelet and sank his teeth into it, teeth clashing against the metal of his fork; though he wasn't honestly annoyed. Matt had obviously not been all that serious as the slight clanking of metal on ceramic filled the air, Matt cutting his own food. It would take a while to get used to this... to them... but Mello didn't mind. It was something new, but it was something he had wanted for a while. He just didn't know what to do now that he had it…

He shoved the last bite of the omelet into his mouth, a small while later, and set the plate onto the dresser, glaring at Matt as the redhead shakily held out his own; he had to have _inhaled_ it to be done with the amount Mello had made for him.

Matt had always been odd with eating, either he picked at his food over an hours time or he devoured it in minutes. Mello would never understand that part of him; either you were hungry or you weren't.

Matt laid there, expectantly, for a few minutes until Mello sighed and stiffly left the room. He knew what Matt wanted, his cigarettes; his body was probably _craving_ them after the long lapse too.

He found them on the gamer's computer desk, half shoved under a stack of papers covered in binary, and the lighter sitting beside the laptops case. He hated the way Matt immediately brightened up at the sight of his drug.

Matt fumbled with the package and promptly stuffed one in his mouth and lit up, smoke filling the room lazily. He puffed through two cigarettes, as though they would be his last, before calmly lighting the third one and slowly smoking it, letting it rest precariously close to falling from his mouth in his customary manor.

Mello frowned, but knew that the nicotine withdrawals Matt would suffer should he be deprived of them wouldn't help his recovery in the least. He simply wished, if Matt wouldn't outright quit, that he would at least cut back a little; those things were going to kill him.

But he wouldn't say anything ,at least not for the moment, as Matt's recovery was paramount to anything else. After that, perhaps they could come to an agreement...

Matt had just stubbed out his last cigarette, Mello still staring off into the distance, when Matt ran a finger across the exposed skin of his arm. He jerked his head to Matt, question in his eyes. Matt simply shrugged, as much as he could, and stared at him.

"I'm not a mind reader, Matt." he muttered, though he had an idea of what Matt wanted. It irked him how easily his thoughts drifted towards it after he'd had a taste... Matt merely smirked slightly and tugged the arm Mello had been using to lean on the bed out from under him. He nearly collided with Matt, which would have hurt him, and glared furiously at the redhead until Matt leaned in and kissed him.

Matt's lips tasted of heat and spice from the salsa, an odd combination accompanied with the smoke of the cigarette, but not a deterrent. Matt sighed slightly and Mello felt fingers work themselves into his hair, pushing his skull closer with a slight force.

He wormed his tongue between split lips and ran it along the insides of Matt's mouth, loving the way Matt moaned softly against him. He was half leaned across Matt, chests almost touching, when a soft 'cough' echoed through the otherwise silence.

He broke away from Matt, a sigh of disappointment echoing from the redhead, and turned to find Near staring at them, seemingly not in the least bothered by the display he had obviously watched. "Mello missed a phone call." Near told him as he held out the red object absently.

"Damn..." he muttered. It had probably been something important, depending on who it was that had called. Mello slid from the bed and gave Near a slight nod as he took the phone from his grasp.

Mello was honestly surprised he hadn't heard it, as he had the volume on maximum at all times; unless he was doing something dangerous in which it would be suicidal to even so much as leave it on vibrate.

He walked from the room and scrolled across the list of recent missed calls, thankfully it was only the one, and frowned at the name. It was that of one of his undercover informants; he had one in any country of interest if it was manageable, he needed every bit of information on L he could get.

The man he had sent there, hardly all that much older than himself, had been a friend of a recently deceased high ranked associate of Mello's and he had wanted to help. The man was hardly cut out for normal Mafiya work, but despite his appearances he had a sharp mind inclined for detailed analyses and was good at reading people. Something that Mello valued in a world where everyone lied.

For him to be calling there had to be something going on, whether or not it would ruin Mello's good mood was something to be seen. He hit the call button and pressed it by his ear as it rang. His annoyance levels soared as it reached the fifth ring and he was about to hang up when it was hastily answered with a _'I'm sorry I had to make an excuse to get away from the meeting.'_

Mello sighed, it honestly couldn't be helped considering the man was in with the NPA.

"What do you have for me?" he asked, ignoring the sigh of relief the man gave.

"Something that just might make you happy for a change." came the confidant tone over the line. Mello stood a little straighter at that; this man never bragged unless he thought there was honestly something good.

"Well out with it!" Mello snapped. He was hardly annoyed, but he wasn't exactly known for his kind words or soft demeanor.

"There is an officer here, he's younger than me but smart. Genius level even. And recently he has been poking around in things that could get him killed if he wasn't so apt at covering his tracts." Mello arched an eyebrow at the statement. Obviously he wasn't that good if his informant had caught him.

"The only reason I knew what to look for was a conversation I overheard him and his father having about L."

Mello hissed at that name and he could almost see the wince his informant gave. It wasn't that the name was said over the phone, it was a secure connection, just that he had to _hear_ that damnable name after what he had done to Matt. It was enough to make his blood boil.

"His name is Yagami Light, and he has latched onto L. I'm not sure what started it, but I know that he is digging around for information on L and has even found something on a place called Wammys House that is connected to him." the informant told him seriously, his tone quiet.

Mello sucked in a breath. This Yagami person had found out about Wammys? They had to be at least _good_ at hacking for that sort of thing. A Matt kind of good. But the real question was...

"What does he think of L?" Yagami would be of no use to him if he worshiped L and salivated at the mere mention of the 'esteemed' detective like everyone else did.

"I'm honestly not sure as I haven't talked to him about it." the man said carefully, obviously having sensed Mello's irritation. And his reply hadn't helped any. He couldn't make a move if he didn't know where Yagami's loyalties lay.

"But..." the informant continued hesitantly. "In my opinion, and I will stake everything on it, I believe Yagami is beginning to realize just what L really is." and that had Mello's lips slide into a feral grin. If his informant was willing enough to stake his _life _on his instincts, then Mello could work with it.

"How high ranked is this Yagami person?" he asked. His informant was already in the NPA, and while he was at a relatively good position it was always better to have someone higher, if possible.

"He is the son of the Chief, and he is currently deciding whether or not to work with the ICPO; he could easily take over for his father." the man sounded pleased with himself, and Mello allowed it. It was good news, if, and only _if_, Yagami could be trusted.

"I will get back to you once I decide what we are going to do. Until then keep a watchful eye on the man but do not draw attention to yourself if possible. Id rather not have you uncovered as a spy." he didn't give the man time to respond and simply hung up on him.

That was definitely something, especially if he could get Yagami on his side... though it might be a challenge as he was a Mafiya boss and Yagami a detective. He would have to go to Japan and do some surveillance of his own. He slipped the phone into his pocket and retreated back into the bedroom where Near and Matt were before he stopped in the doorway. There was a slight problem with going to Japan... Matt would not be left behind.

Not could not, but would not. Mello knew that the redhead would follow him on his own if it were required of him. And after the latest incident... perhaps it would be best of he kept Matt with him at all times. That, and as he watched Matt wave his hand about as he explained something to Near, maybe he didn't want to leave him behind this time.

And perhaps even Near.

He actually liked the little fluff ball.

Surprisingly.

Matt turned to him, their eyes locking briefly, and Mello knew the redhead had figured out that something was up. Matt didn't call him out on it, for the moment, and Mello made a silent promise to him not to leave without him; even if it meant waiting until he was healed. L could... wait.

**_-End Promise-_**

**AN:** y4y w3 h4z pl0t! (I'm sure certain people simply appalled at my wording. Well you can bite me ^-^)

Well other than that, how is everyone liking this so far? (I bet everyone thought it would end with Matty being rescued, my beta did, but for a different reason, as she is like privy to more information than you all, mwahahah)

Any thoughts on who the mystery informer might be? My bets kinda got it right lol. She gave two guesses. :)

**Special thanks to reviewers: **KaiyaMinPop, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, critter141151, Seith, hobomara, Cheerful-Pessimist,  
HaturoSaturnUesugi, Living in a fantasy, SuperSaiyanKiri, Slayers64, Deadly Nightshade1395,  
Misha2011, Zellicy, 9shadowcat9, chiakaiyuki, schoolkid

**Review?**


	26. Chapter 22: Transition

**Disclaimer:** See previous one

**AN**: This chapter... oh dear KAMI this chapter... was a pain in the ARSE! *falls over dramatically* I actually had to cave in and do a time skip (which I dont really like doing) but it was either that or stop writing. Yup, it got that bad.

I hated this chapter...

**Suggested Listening**: Here Tomorrow Gone Today **by** Lifehouse

**Chapter Twenty-Two**: _Transition _

Mello continued on into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, across from Near who had taken to sitting, albeit a little awkwardly, in Mello's previous spot. Though technically the entire bed _was_ his. He didn't particularly mind though.

It was strange, all of them together, and for a lot in the past few days. It was almost like the last part of their Wammys days... far too much, if Mello dared to think on it.

Though as Near shifted again, seemingly even more uncomfortable, Mello knew those days had long passed. "I will speak with Matt later." Near said calmly as he maneuvered himself off of the bed, almost limping as he left the room. Mello had to wonder if his injury had gotten worse or if it had always been like and he had just not noticed before. It was possible, with how little he had seen of Near unless the albino was sewing him back together.

He glanced back over to Matt, who was once again consumed in his game, and knew the redhead was simply waiting for him to spill what the call was about. Matt had an incredible sense when it came to things he wasn't supposed to know about.

Though it was different that time Mello supposed.

But he didn't want to tell Matt just yet. Matt needed time to recover, and if Mello immediately dropped the information into his lap the redhead would concentrate only on what would happen and force himself to recover too quickly.

Mello also needed to think of a plan before he even brought up the idea of going to Japan. In the end he might not even find it feasible to go in person, and he didn't want to plant it in their minds only to back out of it in the end. He hated appearing indecisive as much as he hated giving up.

Instead of simply letting Matt get away with ignoring him, he plucked the game from the gamers hands, and captured his lips earning a surprised groan. He didn't let it go too far, pulling back before any tongue could be involved, but was satisfied that he had Matt's attention. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stand to be ignored at the moment...

Matt did things to him that no one else in existence could pull off, and he did it without even being aware. It was so strange and yet at the same time seemed to fit. Matt had been the one to put himself inside Mello's life in the first place, and the one who had made sure he still had a space in it even years later.

"How are your ribs feeling?" he murmured against Matt's lips. Matt gave him a noncommittal answer until he got that Mello wasn't about to simply let the question drop.

"They are sore, and hurt if I move too much." Matt told him with a very slight shrug of his shoulder.

Mello wondered how much Matt was lying. He had seen him have trouble playing his games; seemingly having trouble with one of his hands, the one without the wrist brace; deep bruises had appeared on the fragile looking wrist and fingers marking them, they had to hurt a lot with having taken so long to show on the skins surface.

Mello supposed it was better than it could have been, he still had no idea what they had done to him, and he doubted that if asked Matt would be all that forthcoming about it. And it probably wasn't such a good thing to tell him, he supposed. He would only get more pissed off at L.

Matt slid his hand along Mello's chest and he rose an eyebrow at the redhead. Matt didn't go any farther than that but nor did he stop. "Are you having fun?" he asked, his back tensing from the fingers pressing into his sides. Matt had almost been able to hide his smirk but Mello had caught the slight upwards tilt of his lips. Having those hands on him was torture, an oddly heated feeling pooling up within him, but if Matt was contented for the moment he would deal with it.

Though he would only let it go on for so long…

Matt dipped his hand lower, far too low, and Mello practically snarled at him. Matt gave him a look that could have almost been called a pout, but as he had never in his life seen the redhead pout he settled on half-frown.

He didn't need to tell him to behave, the glare he gave Matt sufficient enough for it. The idiot was injured and yet he was pushing himself, and testing Mello's restraint, at the same time. It wasn't that Mello couldn't contain himself, far from it, but he didn't want to create a problem he'd have to go fix. A problem Matt would _know _about. Though that seemed to be exactly what Matt had planned.

He narrowed his eyes at the redhead, who merely grinned at him though Matt's hands had removed themselves from his person, but sighed before he got more irritated. Mello supposed that Matt was testing how far he would let him go while he was injured, how far Mello would let him go _period_. It wasn't as though Mello hadn't had sex before, only once and it had not been enjoyable, being in the mafia the experience was unavoidable.

But Matt was in no position for such things at the moment and he shouldn't have even been _thinking _about it either. He knew Matt was probably bored, and he was obviously happy about starting something with him, but he needed to wait…

"I have work to do so I will get your laptop as I can tell you are bored with your handheld." He told Matt and smirked as the redheads expression fell. It wasn't as though he didn't enjoy his time with Matt, far from it, but he knew Matt would continue to push things until he winded up hurt. Matt may not have been motivated in most aspects of his life, but when he did latch onto something it took all of his focus.

Mello hesitantly stole a quick kiss, feeling Matt's lips curl into a small smile, before he was off the bed and striding into the kitchen to find his bag. He noticed that Near's door was closed, though with the light coming from under the door it was doubtful that the albino was sleeping.

Mello sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his face. Matt made him feel so damn strange normally and now that he was _with_ him it had only gotten worse. He had almost lost his composure, more than once, whilst Matt had been abducted and now the redhead was causing emotions and urges to surface that Mello swore hadn't been as strong before.

Or had he simply repressed them to the point that it was finally boiling over now that Matt had shown his interest? Mello huffed out a sigh; Matt always made things complicated.

Mello spotted the bag and grabbed it, simply taking the stack of papers out before snatching a pen and going back to Matt after taking the laptop. He settled down beside the redhead, not bothering to glance at him as he knew Matt was watching, and began to read over the papers.

It is going to be a long recovery, was all Mello could think.

.

.

It was nearly two weeks later when Mello had finally decided he needed to go to Japan; and a few more days after that before he had a plan hashed out. There had been no more news from his informant, not that he had expected it, and Mello grudgingly settled on the usual approach.

Do it yourself if you want it done right.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his informants abilities... he would just rather scope things out on his own as well. The more eyes watching the situation the better, at least for the moment.

They would take a plane to Japan and travel by car to an apartment he had set up and waiting for them, meaning they would have to leave soon. There would be surveillance work done and if things were to Mello's liking they would approach Yagami about L when he felt the time was right.

Mello had just finished explaining everything to Near and Matt, the latter who was seated on the couch before him, while Mello sat cross legged on top of the coffee table, and waited for their responses. Matt merely smiled up at him from his game, eyes mostly hidden by his red fringe rather than the goggles that hung awkwardly around his neck; though Matt hadn't seemed to have been paying much attention to his game anyway.

Near simply inclined his head but Mello saw through the blank stare and noticed the emotion in his dark eye; he definitely approved, at least of the fact that Mello had included them in his plans.

It still struck him every time he saw the eye patch. It was such a noticeable accessory, a blatant admission of his weakness and Mello wondered if Near felt any less of himself for the injury. But Mello knew he would never ask him.

"I will not be joining Mello and Matt in Japan." Near told them a few moments later, surprising Mello. He hadn't thought that Near would decline...

"It is wise for Mello not to show all of his cards at once."

And while what Near said made sense, he didn't understand why the albino wouldn't want to join them, unless it had to do with staying in one position for that many hours, which his hip couldn't take. Near already shifted every few minutes to relieve the built up tension, a plane ride would probably drive him insane.

"Alright Near. It's probably better to have someone watching all of our stuff anyway, too much information to be stolen." Matt commented from Near's right. Mello thought that Near's gaze softened just the slightest bit at the redheads voice but he couldn't be certain.

"You just don't want your games getting robbed." Mello drawled and watched as Matt smirked, his expression becoming something of the cocky one Mello was more than used to seeing when Matt was enjoying himself when not pertaining to something game related or sexual.

"When exactly do we need to leave?" Matt questioned, and Mello could hear curiosity in his voice that was poorly disguised. If Mello had to bet, it would be because Japan was the gaming capital of the world or something like that.

"Tomorrow morning." Mello told him dryly and watched as Matt jerked his head back up in surprise.

"Shit, why didn't you tell me this sooner, I have a lot of stuff to pack!" Matt practically jumped from the couch, not being able to fully cover a wince at the sudden movement, and went off in the direction of his room. Muffled curses and thumps could be heard and Mello could just imagine him attempting to find his suitcases, if Matt still had any.

He had neglected to mention, at the moment, that the Mafiya would be handling the transportation of some of their things, as Mello couldn't very well bring his guns on the plane. But it was probably just best to allow Matt to pack for the time being, in his rushed way, rather than interrupt him.

"Will you be alright here on your own?" he questioned the albino suddenly.

"I am sure Matt will leave the necessary numbers and sites for me to sustain myself whilst I am alone." Near replied, fingers twisting a lock of snow colored hair as he stared at him. It wasn't exactly what he had meant, but if that was Near's answer then so be it.

"You can survive off of take out and microwavable meals for a while." Mello commented with a smirk and saw Near tilt his head to the side with a half smirk.

"And I do not now?"

Mello had to concede with a soft sigh, one filled with amusement; he supposed it was what they lived off of at the moment, probably Matt more than either of them. Though Mello was going to change that once they got back. He would still have a mafiya to run... but that didn't mean he couldn't be home more often, even if it meant he had to cook...

Mello simply sat there for a while, chocolate bar poised by his lips, as he stared at the wall, his thoughts on other subjects.

Such as the actual trip to Japan. They would have to take a commercial aircraft as it would draw too much attention to have a private one fly into the country; despite all attempts at secrecy, people always found out about them. And it definitely would not be a good thing in this situation.

No, Mello thought, neither would be attracting attention with their usual attire. They would have to disguise themselves as much as possible. While Mello's clothing had changed, and Matt's evolved slightly, their looks were easily recognizable. And if L didn't know it was them he was looking for, he definitely would then.

And Mello couldn't have L latch onto their location, or the fact that there was something important for them in Japan. Important enough to leave his Mafiya; and if they were identified L would certainly make the connection.

Mello scowled at the thought of anything other than leather to wear in public, but he would make do. Just as Matt would without his goggles and stripes. Thank god he hadn't been smoking at Wammys or he would have had that taken away as well. On the entire flight there, Mello wouldn't so much as _look _at a chocolate bar, it might kill him, but he would do it.

He turned his head suddenly in the direction of Matt's room, as if finally registering the sounds of complete silence. It hadn't been filled with the soft thunks of things being tossed around or Matt's barely heard curses in a while.

Near kept his attention away from Mello's gaze, when he had looked at him, as if shooing him away. His lips upturned into a slight smile and dropped his chocolate to the table as he stood, though he didn't immediately go to Matt's room.

Instead he grabbed his cell phone from the kitchen counter where he had left it earlier and dialed the third contact that came up. The call was picked up on the second ring and Mello gave no room to speak other than the first, gruffly spoken, greeting.

"Yuriy, I need some items to be picked up for me. Get a pen because I will not repeat myself." he had been far too lenient with them as of late, he completely blamed Matt for that, but he couldn't leave with them thinking he had gone soft...

Mello told him everything he needed and where to drop it off, a block away from the apartment where he would meet him before the flight in the morning. There was a curt, slightly surprised goodbye from Yuriy and Mello hung up.

It was simply easier for one of his men to acquire the items, the things he would need to disguise himself and Matt, then for Mello to go and get them. People were looking in the area now, searching, and if his appearance got back to L...

He left the phone on the counter again, knowing no one would dare call him unless it were urgent, and headed to Matt's bedroom.

He had expected complete and utter chaos, with Matt tangled in a web of his electrical cords and half under a pile of games, as it seemed to be the sort of thing he'd get himself into; so he was slightly surprised to see the room looking rather bare.

It was clean, more so than he had ever seen it, and there was hardly a hint at Matt's loved electronics and games. There were three suitcases leaned up against the wall and Mello honestly had no idea how the redhead had managed to pack everything into such a small amount of baggage.

Mello's gaze drifted to the bed and he was hardly surprised to see the redhead sprawled across it haphazardly with his goggles pressed to his forehead and eyes shut; breathing slightly unsteady. "I'm not asleep you know." Matt told him, cracking an eye open though it was squinted, as though he couldn't properly see in the rooms dwindling light.

"You probably should be. You overworked yourself a bit didn't you?" Mello asked rhetorically as he kicked his boots off into the corner and closed the door behind him. Matt finally seemed to register his intentions as he reached the bed and tiredly attempted to rearrange himself on top of the covers to give room.

Mello rolled his eyes and simply laid in the space available and was amused by how Matt, in his slightly sleepy way, managed to curl himself up against his side, head against Mello's chest, despite his ribs causing him discomfort. He supposed that as long as Matt didn't move too much his ribs would be fine; they were much less tender than they were right after the incident.

Mello's arms drifted, as though by their own accord, to wrap around Matt's waist. And despite everything still being new to him, Mello enjoyed the feeling of Matt's warm body pressed against his own.

He doubted he would ever regret the decision to bring Matt along with him to Japan.

.

Mello hadn't remembered falling asleep, but the fact that he had woken up attested to it. He didn't mind too much though, as Matt murmured something sleepily against him as he yawned and sat up. Mello couldn't see his expression in the dark room, hardly being able to see his silhouette, and didn't know if that meant it were in the middle of the night or very early morning.

"What time did we have to leave here?" Matt questioned; and Mello almost collided with him he sat up, though managed not to at the last second. "Quarter to ten." Mello replied, assuming Matt meant the flight time.

"... its almost seven now. I guess it time to get up." Mello blinked at Matt's sigh and slid from the bed. He should have known better than to lay down with him without setting the alarm first. Had they woken any later Mello doubted they would have had time to get ready. As it were they would already be cutting it close.

He heard the quiet shufflings as Matt walked across the room to get the light, which burned Mello's eyes when it was switched on. He watched, almost absently, as Matt dug through his dresser, still filled with clothing, and pulled out a striped shirt. If Mello felt up to it he would have bet that Matt had only packed a few pairs of clothing and even then only to insulate his breakable electronics.

"Don't bother getting dressed." he mumbled around a yawn, surprised at himself, and rubbed at his eyes. He had been sleeping too much with Matt around. He had such a calming effect and was so lazy about everything that it felt contagious. Things would have to be different in Japan or nothing would get done, and Mello simply couldn't afford that.

"Why not? Is it a nudist airport or something?" Matt asked with a raised eyebrow and a cigarette Mello didn't remember seeing him take out in his mouth. Naturally Matt would come out with some disturbing comment, just the thought of an airport like that...eh.

"No. But if we want to get to Japan undetected we can't wear our usual clothing. We can't _look_ like ourselves." he said as he stretched his limbs before finally leaving the bed. He felt tired, and so damn drained. He hated sleeping so much. And he knew that sitting on the plane for so many long hours wouldn't help him, nether the jet lag.

He had to get going, as he glanced at the time again, he was already almost late to meet with Yuriy; he was certain that it would be Yuriy as he knew the man wouldn't send a grunt to meet with him so close to the apartment. And though it had not been said, Yuriy was smart enough to _know_ it was close to the apartment.

He didn't look back at Matt as he yanked his boots on, he knew the redhead was frowning but it couldn't be helped; Matt would simply have to get over it.

"I'll be back in a little while. Make sure you have everything ready, we'll be cutting it close as it is." he told Matt as he turned the knob and walked out. The main room was dark and quiet and the light in Near's room was off so he made sure to creep as silently as he could so as to not disturb him.

He had only hastily pulled on his jacket, leaving it unzipped, so he was unprepared for the rush of cool air that hit him like a wall the second he stepped from the building. It sent shivers running down his spine and goose flesh to break out across his arms. He sighed heavily and mechanically zipped himself up as he swung a leg over his bike. He didn't have time to deal with such trivial things.

Mello hoped the bike wouldn't wake Near, but didn't have time to dwell on his as he sped from his parking place and out into the almost uninhabited streets. It was early, but not so early that people weren't awake; then again he didn't quite care about the other people.

The icy wind, as he pushed the speed limits, helped to rouse him from his sleepy state and his mind was alive and alert by the time he had slowed and parked the bike by the unassuming brown car. He was unsurprised to see Yuriy step out of the vehicle not even two seconds later with bags in hand.

"Everything that you requested is in there..." the man told him as he held out the black canvas type bags. Mello wondered why he hadn't simply used plastic, but in the end didn't bother to ask.

"I trust that you will take care of things here?" he asked stonily as he accepted the bags and tied them down to the seat. He heard Yuriy mutter a soft 'of course'. The moment his head had lifted, hands away from the ties on the bike, he was pulled into an embrace. Mello froze, completely still, in those arms. It was such an unexpected act that he literally couldn't react.

"Stay safe boss." was muttered as Yuriy pulled away looking as uncomfortable as Mello felt. He would have liked to have made some sort of witty or sarcastic remark but all his brain could supply for him was a soft 'alright' much to his disdain.

Yuriy immediately turned heal and got back into the car, probably hoping he wouldn't be shot for the action; in truth Mello doubted he could have gotten his brain in working order quick enough for such a thing. Instead he simply shook his head and got on his bike. The entire meeting had been...weird.

He wondered if all L would have to do was walk up to him and hug him in order to abduct him. How pitiful would that be? He sighed and drove slowly back to the apartment and by the time he was back he knew dressing would have to be rushed, but it was entirely his subordinates fault. Since when had he commanded _that_ much respect?

But he didn't have the time to think on it, as he reset the alarm and locked the door behind himself. Matt was sitting on the couch, sipping what Mello assumed was coffee, with his goggles over his eyes. Matt frowned the moment he glanced at the bags in Mello's hands.

"Time to play dress up Matty." Mello told him with a grin. Matt flicked him off but stood from the couch anyway, slowly.

"So what the hell do I have to wear?"

Mello set the bags on the counter and dug through them until a small pile of clothing had amassed. "And don't think you get to keep the goggles, you may as well not even change with how distinctive those are."

"No." Matt told him outright.

"No?" Mello repeated with a raised eyebrow, not quite annoyed yet. It always came down to the goggles in the end, always. But Mello wasn't about to give in. This was important. He stalked the few feet over to Matt and yanked their heads together for a kiss. He felt Matt yield to him almost instantly and slid his tongue inside his pliant mouth.

"Get dressed..." he told Matt when they finally broke apart. The redhead shot him a dirty look but grabbed the pile of clothing and stalked to his room. Mello was very pleased. Though he doubted Matt would let that work for very many more times.

He took the bag with his own things and went into the bathroom; he needed the mirror. Matt may not care about his appearance but Mello didn't want to _look_ like he was wearing a wig; which he _would_ be.

When finished the entire ensemble made him look strange. He wasn't used to seeing himself with medium length black hair, that was used to cover the left half of his face, or in the dark gray suit and dress shoes he was in.

He sighed but knew he would simply have to deal with it until the got to Japan.

When he exited the bathroom he saw Matt dressed in tan slacks and a button down dark green shirt with his brown wig practically tossed on. It would need to be fixed but he hadn't expected much from Matt in that department, especially when he was irritated.

Matt looked up from his game, goggles still across his eyes, and snorted in laughter.

Mello narrowed his eye and placed a hand at his hip. "What?"

"You should have just dressed as a woman; you like a transvestite at the moment." Matt told him with a smirk. Mello almost snarled at the younger man but couldn't decide if the redhead was simply trying to irritate him or making an actual statement.

"Take the goggles off, we need to leave." he watched, with some satisfaction, as Matt's expression fell but he complied, eyes blinking wildly the second they were off.

"You're going to go blind from keeping those damn things on all the time." he told Matt with a shake of his head. Matt laughed softly, though he couldn't see what had been so funny. But Matt had always been amused by the strangest things.

Mello made sure to check, twice over, that they had everything they needed, as there wouldn't be another chance to go back for it and he'd rather only have the Mafiya in the apartment once; though with how much Matt had managed to stuff into his suitcases there might not even be a need for it.

The main thing Mello needed transportation for were his guns, which he left at the base, and Matt's computer stuff. But if Matt had what he wanted then it was fine by him.

He had just disarmed the security and opened the door, Matt shuffling unsteadily out the door with his bags when Near appeared, almost out of thin air, in front of them. "Matt and Mello are leaving now." Near stated, fingers curled tightly around a strand of hair.

"Yeah, we'll play chess online when I get the computers set up there." Matt voiced from behind him, and probably giving Near a wave, if the soft thump of one of the bags meant anything.

"See you later fluff ball." Mello told him, allowing a small grin to ease onto his face as he reached out to ruffle his white hair. He loved the way Near's eye widened in surprise; Mello had always wanted to do that.

Before anything else odd could happen he backed out of the apartment and let Near close and lock the door. He was certain that things would be much easier between the three of them when they returned.

And though Mello would have preferred to drive he allowed Matt to do so as the redhead wouldn't have his car for a while. While Mello could have taken the extra effort to ship their vehicles to them in Japan, he didn't see it necessary. They could make do with whatever they could find there.

Matt would simply have to deal.

Mello didn't comment as Matt replaced his goggles, the ones Mello had tossed away in the apartment, to drive. Mello simply allowed it as the sun was bright and he'd rather Matt not get into an accident. L wouldn't matter anymore if that happened.

"Off." He stated, once they had rolled to a stop in the long term parking. Matt sighed again, having no delusions to what he'd meant, and grumpily tugged the goggles off though Mello did see them slip into one of the bags. He didn't have the time to argue.

The airport, as expected, was crowded. They had hardly a half hour left to get to their gate, once they had checked in their bags and gotten their boarding passes, and if the line had been any longer for security Mello was certain they would have missed it.

As it were, Matt had taken longer than him as he had 'misplaced' the passport Mello had given him in the car, fake naturally, and had taken a few minutes to find it in his clothing. Matt, in his opinion, was acting a little off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something wrong with how he was acting. It could have been the mass amounts of people they were around, or it could have been that he hadn't had a cigarette in almost three hours... it could have been a lot of things.

"I'll be right back..." Matt told him and wandered off in a random direction; if Mello hadn't been stuck with the carryon's he would have gone with him. As it were, Matt's stuff was fucking heavy and _very _valuable and couldn't simply be left on its own...

He cursed the redhead and promised to seriously hurt him if they missed the flight... though he wondered if he could ever _really_ harm him...

Matt returned three minutes to boarding time with a pair of glasses sliding down his nose and a small bag in his hand. "I just don't feel right without my goggles..." he explained and offered Mello the contents of the bad, which happened to be chocolate covered peanuts as he couldn't be seen eating bars of it. And though he knew it was meant to placate his curiosity, a diversion, he accepted it anyway.

Mello knew there was something that Matt simply wasn't telling him but figured, as he ripped open the bag of nuts and held out his boarding pass to be torn off, it wasn't worth mentioning at the moment.

There were more important things, for the time being, than the inner workings of Matt's mind.

Such as how he was going to last the entire plane ride with only those disgusting chocolate covered nuts...

**-End**_** Transition**_**- **

**AN**: this chapter came out lots better than I hoped after the time skippy. :) good thing I took D's advice huh? Hehe. Now we get to some interesting stuff... or at least its coming up. You WILL like the next chapter though. I can promise you that. XD

Question, me and a few other authors are making a joint account for our collabs, would you be interested in reading those works at all? (don't expect them to be out soon, the only one that might have a chapter out soon is the one I'm doing with DiabolicaJeevas as its kinda Halloween-ish)

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Living in a fantasy, critter141151, BakaFireKitsuneSama, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, JJ, Seith, Cheerful-Pessimist, Misha2011, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, 9shadowcat9, Zellicy, Slayers64, KaiyaMinPop

Review please?


	27. Chapter 23: Scars

**Disclaimer**: See previous one.

**AN**: Yay another chapter, right? :) Also, in the bottom AN I have given you a preview of the mpreg fic im currently working on. Hope you enjoy it.

**Suggested Listening**: Japanese Girl **by** Metro Station**;** w.a.m.s **by** Fall out Boy

**Chapter Twenty-Three**: _Scars_

Mello was reclined on the beat up couch, chocolate in his mouth, with a pair of bulky headphones on as he listened to the chatter on the other end. And really, that's all it was, chatter. Two weeks of surveillance and nothing of worth had been said, though with how careful Yagami was being Mello knew he shouldn't be surprised. Yagami was in the police force for a reason.

But it was still a little frustrating not to have much to go on. They had been in Japan for a grand total of two weeks and three days. After they had settled in to their shit apartment, going from The Grand to Motel 6 in theory, he had Matt set up surveillance equipment in Yagami's apartment as well as his parent's house. It hadn't been hard to find their addresses with Yagami's father the police chief; all their personal data was stored in the online database and it had been child's play for Matt to crack it.

Once it was set up Mello had alternated days with Matt between watching Yagami on screen and following him when he was away. And though Mello would usually spend an obscene amount of time collecting data, he knew that L was still on the attack even though nothing had been publicized so he knew he didn't have a lot of time to so as he liked.

From what he saw, and what Matt had been able to trace back to him, Yagami was drudging up bits and pieces of the very stuff that Matt had years before. Matt, the sneaky bastard he was, had left far more traces of L's deceit on the net than even L probably knew about.

But that was really all they had found out about Yagami's knowledge. Mello had no idea what the brunette thought of L, or even how much he had found out about L, and what he had deduced from it. And because of his lack of knowledge... Mello had begun to think of a different plan...

He needed to get in contact with Yagami.

Mello didn't tell Matt of his plans, not because he thought the redhead would disapprove of them, but because he wasn't sure he wanted Matt with him when he went. Until he knew Yagami's intentions towards L... he didn't want Matt anywhere around him.

He sighed and tossed the headphones away from himself and picked up his phone. He wondered if Yagami would even answer from an unknown caller. But he would soon find out. He dialed the number he had already memorized and pressed the phone to his unscarred ear and listened to it ring. He knew for a fact, as Matt had texted him not even ten minutes before, that Yagami was on lunch break so he would definitely be in a position to answer.

He let it ring six times before he moved his thumb over to the end button, but before he did there was a distinctive _click _and a friendly sounding voice, though Mello was hardly fooled. He could hear the underlying suspicions.

"Yagami Light?" he questioned and eyed his chocolate; he wanted it...

"Yes?"

"I have it on good authority that you have recently been looking into things that could get you into serious trouble. And by that, I mean could get you killed. But you already figured that out as soon as you saw L's name attached to it, didn't you?" he decided he didn't care about attempting to be slightly polite and bit into his neglected chocolate bar and barely withheld a contented sigh. Damn he loved dark chocolate.

There was a pregnant pause, and a not quite covered 'excuse me for a moment' before Yagami was alone. "Who are you? Do you work for L?"

Mello couldn't help but huff out a laugh. "Work for L? Fuck no. I want to meet you to talk about everything you know. Some place public. What do you say, Yagami?" he had almost let it slip past his lips that he would prefer it if L were taken out, as in killed, as in _dead_. But he wasn't sure what Yagami's reaction would be to such a statement.

"There is no reason for me to meet with someone I don't know. In fact, it would be infinitely stupid. I don't know who you are, and I don't know your intentions-"

Mello cut him off before he could continue; his informant had mentioned that Yagami liked to talk. "You can call me M for now. If you agree to meet with me you will find out my name when you see me. As for my intentions, I simply want to know what you know about L. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't think you're up to it, then fine." from what he had heard Yagami, for all his genius, had a large ego and didn't like to back down from things. Mello had to wonder if that was a perquisite for all genii.

He gave Yagami a few moments to think it over and silently sucked on the edge of his chocolate in the meantime.

"Fine. Where do you want to meet?" Yagami finally asked, determination coloring his words.

And Mello grinned.

.

"So, when were you planning on telling me you set a date with Yagami?" Matt commented as he sucked in the poisonous air of his duel colored death sticks. Or as Matt called them, cigarettes.

And Mello honestly should have known that Matt couldn't be kept out of the loop, not when it was something so important. Though he was obscenely amused by how Matt had called it a date.

"Probably not until the meeting was over." there was no sense in lying when Matt obviously already knew. Matt sighed and looked up from his game, facial expression blank and eyes covered by his goggles.

"I thought I was brought here to help? Can't do that if you keep shit from me."

"I just didn't want you around him until I knew his views on L..." he mumbled around the chocolate and was rewarded with a smirk. He knew he shouldn't have admitted that. He should have stuck with the same stint that Matt wasn't healed yet. Though he was definitely almost there. Maybe another week and a half at most. At least for his back.

There were still bandages covering Matt's torso, the wounds left there not healing as well as they should have been, but other than that he was almost completely healed. Mello could still see every single cut and bruise Matt had been left with...

"Well, when you decide to fill me in I'll still be here. Nothing else to do, unless you want me tailing Yagami again."

He gave Matt a withering look, to which Matt simply grinned wider, and turned back to his chocolate. Honestly, he wondered if Matt purposely attempted to irritate him at times... actually, he _knew_ the redhead did. There was no way Matt couldn't know he was being annoying. And that made it worse.

Matt had been more and more like he used to be, like he was back at Wammys, ever since the incident involving the coffin; and Mello had to wonder at it. Was it because Matt had been shocked by his near death experience, or because they were together in a way?

Matt was acting far cockier than Mello remembered him being, though Mello couldn't say it was a bad thing...

He sighed; his thoughts constantly drifted from where they were supposed to be to linger on Matt. Then again, Matt had always been at least in the back of his thoughts, always, since he had met him. There was simply something about him..

Mello looked up only to come face to face with Matt, who grinned at him, and could do nothing more than blink. "What the hell are you doing?" he just couldn't be surprised by Matt anymore, after all the weird things he had grown accustomed to.

"Bothering you obviously." Matt commented as he stubbed out his cigarette on the already wrecked table beside the couch. And Mello hardly blinked when Matt seated himself on his lap, pushing the chocolate out of Mello's reach; he had no reason to complain though as Matt's lips descended on him.

Despite Matt not generally being one for much physical work, when he had been cooped up and limited for things to do because of his injuries he had seemed to turn to other things to entertain him. And while Mello really didn't mind too much, he had never let it go farther than kissing.

It wasn't that he didn't want something more... he was just unsure. He felt rather embarrassed to have not had more than one sexual experience at his age, but he really hadn't much time for it before. With his burns, to running the Mafiya and his grudge at L and worry for his two friends consuming him, he had never given it a thought.

And even when he'd realized his feelings for Matt were far more than that of friendship, he had never tried to find a replacement for something he'd once thought he couldn't have despite all the cheap Mafiya whores who threw themselves at him and stunk up his leather with their even cheaper perfumes.

The one and _only_ time had been because he had tried alcohol, at the behest of a few Mafiya cohorts, and had gotten massively drunk and hadn't even attempted to fend off the advances of the whores like he usually did. Needless to say he had _not _been pleased to wake up to the knowledge he had slept with one of them.

Mello knew that Matt had had sex before... what he didn't know... was with whom? He wanted to ask but couldn't figure out a way to do so without bringing up the subject of why. It wasn't as though he didn't know _how_ to have sex with men, he had found that out long ago, back in the early days of the Mafiya after a lot of comments were thrown his way that he just hadn't understood at the time. Ah, the joys of Internet Sex Ed.

He felt the delicious heat begin to pool in his neither regions as Matt's hands slid along his sides and his tongue caressed the inside of his mouth. It was getting harder and harder to ignore Matt each time.

But he had decided it would not go further than that until Matt was completely healed, at least that was the plan. Matt had taken it as an unspoken challenge, and perhaps a way to punish Mello for pushing him and Near away for all those years, to make him cave.

"Enough Matt. I have stuff to plan before the meeting." Mello told the redhead, who sighed, and gently pushed him away. If Matt had been the type, he probably would have pouted. As it were, the swearing under his breath was much more Matt like and had Mello's lips turning upwards into a smile he couldn't quite contain.

Mello really did have things to plan though. In under a weeks time he would be meeting with Yagami, probably with Matt watching on from some distance away, and though he had given Yagami a time and place Mello had yet to really scout it out. It had simply been something he had pulled from memory from an advertisement he had glimpsed as the station had changed.

He grabbed a spare laptop, one he believed Matt used only for e-mails and surveillance, and began to look up the area. He had already known it was a well liked tourist area, Aoyama, but he hadn't expected it to work out quite so well in his favor. There was some sort of grand reopening of a cafe in that area on the same day, so there would even more people than usual. It would be perfect to blend in, and in a worst case scenario, scatter into the crowd.

Just because he had things planned out, what would need to be discussed, didn't mean any of it would go as planned and other options needed to be available to him unless he wanted to be killed. He was a Mafiya Don and he couldn't afford to screw this up. He took a glance at Matt, no he definitely couldn't afford it with Matt with him. If trouble arose he knew he had to have a solid plan so that Matt wouldn't need to interfere like he would probably want to. The less danger Matt was in the easier Mello's own escape would be.

He looked up the cities grid and memorized every twist and turn and possible escape route, and just in case he downloaded it to his phone. Better to be safe than sorry.

"I'm going to take a shower." Matt told him, and though he didn't look up Mello could easily picture the redhead taking one last drag of his current cigarette, snuffing it out in the ashtray, and standing. He heard the soft sigh, and pop of vertebrae, as Matt stretched his muscles. He forced himself to ignore the imagery and went back to what was on the screen.

He made a rough estimate of the time it would take Yagami to get to Aoyama from his parents house, his apartment and from his work. He knew it was likely for Yagami to be in any of those places before the meeting, and barring any major traffic he knew how long he had that he would have to wait for the man.

He tapped a gloved hand on the table softly and used his other hand to scroll through more images of the surrounding areas. There was always a possibility things would be taken out of Aoyama...

Once he was satisfied that he was properly prepared, at least in this way, for every problem he could imagine going wrong, he exited the browser and shut the laptop. The shower had gone off a short while ago and it had already passed a suitable eating time, so Mello set out to make something for them.

There wasn't much in the way of groceries in the apartment, Mello not trusting the refrigeration unit not to fail, so other than the oven made meals there wasn't anything appetizing. He sighed and convinced himself that they were at least a little bit healthier than take-out would have been.

He popped the two trays into the oven, both needing just under an hour to cook, and was about to set the temperature when he was distracted by the soft sounds of footsteps. His eyes caught sight of Matt just as the redhead passed by and Mello winced guiltily at the sight of his bare back.

It was littered with still healing cuts that zig-zagged across his almost too thin frame. He tore his eyes away from the sight. It was his fault they were there and the more he looked at them the angrier he got with himself, for his mistake, and at L for causing it.

"Help me wrap these things?" he was questioned and before he had even thought of a reply he followed Matt from the room; Matt had a soda in hand which Mello supposed was infinitely better than an energy drink though he'd still prefer Matt to drink water.

Mello sat them on the bed and took the bandages from Matt's grasp and set to work on carefully, yet firmly, wrapping the wounds. He took care not to hurt him more than necessary and was so focused on his task he didn't notice Matt's lingering stare until spoke.

"Mello I'm sick of this." Matt told him with a sigh and Mello honestly couldn't follow his train of thought; was it the bandages...?

"Of what?" his hands had dropped from wrapping the roll of crisp white bandages around Matt's chest and they hung in two places by his sides.

"Of you trying your damndest not to touch me _at all._ Yes I almost died, but that was nearly five weeks ago. I'm not going to fucking break if we do _something_, anything more than we have been." Matt said, voice soft and resigned. And yet the redhead still dared to crawl into Mello's lap and smash their lips together.

The act was so unexpected that Mello simply let himself drown in the kiss and pulled Matt closer forcing their mouths to mold seamlessly together. Matt released a sound that was completely needy and all together sexy all at once and his heart beat faster for it.

Matt's hands slid across him and Mello pulled away, breathing in air deeply. "Matt-"

"I'm not backing down this time." Matt told him, hair mused and still slightly damp from his shower. Mello was so close that not even the glare of light on the goggles could obscure the determination in Matt's eyes. He pursed his lips together, a sign to Matt that he had won. He knew what Matt expected, and had Mello been sure about his knowledge in the subject he might have taken Matt, forced him to the bed and fucked him until he screamed.

But Mello only had second hand knowledge and he didn't want Matt to be hurt because of him anymore than he already was. And stopping was no longer an option, Matt rocking against him, their erections pressing together through their clothing only proving that.

He gently flipped Matt onto his back, surprising the younger male, and teasingly slid Matt's boxers down his hips. Mello drank in the sight of his pale skin and flawless, other than the fading scars, body beneath him.

He used his teeth to catch the end of his gloves and pry them from his hands leaving his fingers bare; he trailed a finger across the flesh of Matt's stomach and watched as the redhead squirmed slightly.

He let Matt work on his fly laces as he unzipped his vest and shimmied out of his leather confines as soon as he could; the cool air only made him harder. Careful of the half wrapped bandages he slid his fingers across Matt's body until they rested at his lips and watched with a darkened gaze as the three appointed digits were sucked into that hot mouth. He shuddered slightly at the unexpected warmth and accompanied wetness of Matt's mouth as his fingers were rolled around and shamelessly molested by Matt's tongue.

Feeling his fingers were more than accurately coated, he inched them from the warmth of Matt's all too willing mouth and felt them chill as the air struck them; sliding them between their bodies he set to work.

He attached his mouth to Matt's again to ease the confusion in the redhead's features and when those half lidded eyes had finally shifted closed Mello allowed his expression to morph into something akin to discomfort as he stretched himself.

Matt _would not_ bottom until Mello was certain he would not be harmed.

He pulled his fingers free and shifted, Matt's attention being drawn to him again as he straddled him. His lower half was bathed in fire as he forced Matt inside himself, even as Matt moaned at the contact, and he took in large shuddering breaths that did nothing to control the pain.

Mello shook with the pain that wracked his body, thighs trembling viciously, and wondered how anyone could want that, though from the gasp Matt had released he was at least enjoying it. He blinked back the sting of tears; he refused to cry from it.

He had all but collapsed on top of Matt the second he had attempted movement; his ass throbbed and he doubted he would be able to sit right in the morning, or even the day after.

He was a little surprised that Matt hadn't started to move yet but found he didn't much care at the moment. Matt pulled him in for a kiss and stroked the curve of his back which relaxed him somewhat despite doing nothing for the pain. Matt's kiss tasted of apology, for hurting him it seemed, though Mello didn't blame Matt at all, so he was even more surprised when Matt flipped their positions and pinned him to the bed, his penis having slipped from Mello's body in the process.

"I'll make this feel good for you, I promise." Matt kissed him, sucking gently on his tongue, and despite his wildly beating heart and near rabid apprehension he closed his eyes and spread his legs further to let Matt take control. He trusted Matt far more than he trusted himself with this.

Matt toyed with his tongue as he slowly edged back inside of him; it was still painful, though less so now that he was slicked with what Mello hoped wasn't blood. Matt's hips jarred Mello slightly as they connected with him, Matt being fully seated inside, and he sucked in a breath through the light kisses.

Matt waited, still not moving, letting him adjust to the feeling though Mello wasn't sure he ever would with how fucking huge Matt was. "Move..." he forced himself to mumble against slicked lips despite the pain not having faded all that much.

Matt gave an experimental thrust and Mello hissed, teeth gritting together in pain. Matt's fingers ran up his sides slowly and Mello shivered, goose flesh forming under the ministrations. Matt mouth found his again as he moved, shifting his position, and Mello felt a small twinge of something akin to pleasure.

It had been ... weird... but not unpleasant.

His eyes were locked with Matt's and the redhead smiled as he broke the kiss abruptly, hot breaths falling against his lips. "Found it." Matt coaxed his legs to wrap around him and Mello complied with no complaint. Matt was happy about something and Mello hoped he was right about what it was...

He nearly shrieked as Matt slammed into him, a good feeling so intense hitting him that Mello could only close his eyes and moan and press his fingers into Matt's shoulder. Matt kissed gently at his neck and hit that spot again and again.

Mello couldn't think anymore, could hardly breathe with everything he felt at that moment. Matt's lips at his neck, their sweaty skin sliding together, Matt's hand in his hair tugging gently, their lips pressing together for sloppy kisses. Mello couldn't think, but damn if he couldn't feel_ everything_.

"Matt... Matt...Matt...!" the redheads name was like a mantra as it spilled from his lips. Matt was everything and everywhere and Mello never wanted it to end. He felt Matt stroke him in time with his quickening thrusts and their labored breathing mixed into their kisses and Mello tried not to scratch at Matt's back or squeeze too hard with his legs as he came with a shout of Matt's name on his lips. He felt Matt twitch inside of him before warm liquid filled his insides and they collapsed in a heap on the bed, Matt doing his best not to crush him.

They didn't speak for a while, letting their breaths calm and their heart rates slow. Matt made a motion to move off of him but Mello kept his arms around him; Matt was, he thought, a good weight on his chest.

"I love you..." he told the redhead truthfully. It was such an odd thing to admit, but it seemed appropriate to do so after everything. He had known it, what his feelings really were, for quite some time, but he hadn't wanted to put a label on them... never mind _tell_ the redhead.

He felt Matt's lips curl into a smile and he mumbled something into his chest which sounded like gibberish. But he knew what Matt had said. And that was all he cared about.

**-End **_**Scars**_**-**

**AN:** So... how was it? Did it seem plausible? *facepalm* those two had been giving me issues for the last two chapters. Matt got all horny and I couldn't make him stop *whines* Something had to give so i made it be Mello. :)

My playlist for that 'scene' is as follows (not that anyone cares): Music is Through - Jamie Cullum; W.a.m.s – fall out boy; The Royal We - Silversun Pickups; Gold Guns Girls – Metric; Sweetest Sin – Jessica Simpson; Time To Play – Metro Station

Odd combination right? Lol

**Special thanks to reviewers**: NikooruDesu, PWN3D, Ashleigh131, Living in a fantasy, foreverunloved, MaeveNeri, ThatJeevasFanChick, hobomara, Cheerful-Pessimist, KaiyaMinPop, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Slayers64, critter141151, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan, schoolkid

.

**Untitled preview **(not every thing is as it seems):

_Matt's mouth was dry. The notebook was the cause of it? Or at least that L believed it was... but then why would he-_

_"I decided to see if my deduction was indeed correct by having the three of you in contact with the notebook. Results would be obvious as your personalities and actions are so well defined. Though I could not have guessed that the notebook could alter more than psychological aspects of the body."_

_Matt couldn't believe the words coming out of L's mouth. The detective had actual used them as guinea pigs? Just to prove something to himself... Matt glanced at Mello and noticed the absolute rigidness of his posture. Mello looked up to L, practically worshiped him...the news must hurt him._

_"I myself have experienced side effects. I can no longer eat the sugar I used to crave. It has begun to make me physically ill. I also seem to have developed a severe lack of iron and generally crave that instead." L commented with an almost shrug, as though he was wholly unconcerned with the situation._

_And perhaps he was, Matt didn't know, all he was certain about was how hurt Mello must be._

_"Now that I am positive, I will tell you my theory on the Death Note. The Death Note leaves a mark on each and every person that touches it, as well as a lingering connection that makes those who have touched it wish to be around it and hold it and eventually pushes them to use it if in constant contact regardless of ownership. I believe we all know what marks it can leave?"_

_Mello's fists were balled and teeth clenched but he didn't shout or snarl or do anything to L. Matt rolled his eyes, despite his concern for the blond, of course Mello wouldn't lash out at L. L could probably be Kira and the blond would forgive him._

**-end preview-**

**.**

You like the smex, **Review**?


	28. Chapter 24: Clean

**Disclaimer: **See previous one

**Review replies**:

PWN3D: He will… once. XD

Miharu (aka my Mihael): I loved your review. It made me crack up. Srly. XD

**Suggested Listening: **Your Love is My Drug **by** Ke$ha

**Chapter Twenty-Four**:_ Clean_

Mello woke to a throbbing pain, after he had attempted to roll over and ignore his ringing phone, and groaned. He kept his eyes closed as the wave of pain ebbed away into the background and he was able to think beyond the singular thought of 'fuck-ow!'.

He found he was unable to move, had he decided he wanted to anymore, due to the heavy weight on his chest that was connected to the pieces of hair that tickled him every time the 'weight' breathed. His eyes locked onto the slack expressioned redhead still in his arms and smiled slightly. Despite the fact that any small movement made his ass hurt, he instantly decided he had enjoyed sex with Matt; he knew most of his discomfort came from his inexperience and wondered how he would have been feeling had he simply let Matt lead from the beginning.

He found that he didn't mind too much though, letting his eyes fall shut again, and simply hoped that he would be fine by the time his meeting with Light came around. He huffed out a laugh. He wouldn't exactly be intimidating if he were hobbling into the room, would he?

"_'_Morning Mello." Matt's sleepy voice invaded his musings and he sighed lightly as the redhead leaned up to capture his lips. He couldn't get used to this... Matt was making him soft...

But even as the thought tried to take root in his brain Matt's lips on his and their bare skin touching was enough to banish it. Matt would be the exception.. he always had been.

"You alright?" Matt asked when they had pulled away, Mello feeling infinity warmer than he had upon waking.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You rammed yourself down on me last night, you can't tell me your ass isn't hurting." Matt stated dryly and Mello's face flushed. He sighed heavily and debated on what to say, though decided on truth as Matt's expression had started to darken. He really didn't feel like starting an argument so early after waking.

"Walking will be painful and I doubt I will be sitting on anything today." he commented with a crooked smirk. Matt frowned as he got a calculating expression as he adjusted the goggles he'd slipped on.

"A hot bath might help with that. I'll be back in a minute."

Mello blinked in confusion as Matt carefully moved from the bed, chest bandages in shambles, and walked from the room in all his naked glory. He hadn't agreed to a bath, not even in the slightest. Though it didn't appear that Matt actually cared whether he had one way or another.

Mello scrubbed a hand across his face and stifled a sigh that threatened to break free. He hoped Matt didn't feel guilty for the pain he was feeling, the gamer _was _the type...

With a roll of his eyes Mello braced himself as he slowly moved into a sitting position; as much as he wanted to, he couldn't stay in bed all day, especially as Matt wasn't there to keep him company. Not that he needed the redhead to entertain him. He had things to do... meeting plans to go over...

His teeth were grit, but not barred, and his muscles tensed unexpectedly forcing him to still in his movements. He would have to get used to the burning sandpaper feeling if he hoped to move anytime soon; he expected that it would be easier to take the more time wore on.

Mello was startled as he was suddenly lifted into the air; his arms immediately going around Matt's neck despite the irritation that sparked from the act.

"Put me the fuck down!" he snarled. Matt shouldn't have been doing that for several reasons. First and foremost that he was still injured, no matter how slightly, whether he liked it or not and secondly that Mello was _not _one to be carried whatever the reason.

"Stop struggling and maybe I will." Matt snickered softly and only tightened his grip. Blue eyes narrowed and as his muscles relaxed and he stopped fidgeting Mello knew he had lost. He hissed as Matt kissed his cheek and he ignored the smirk he was rewarded with as he was lowered into the hot bath water only moments later.

He shivered unexpectedly at the change in temperature before the warmth caught up with him and his skin prickled unpleasantly from the heat that engulfed him. The water was almost too hot.

Matt stepped into the small bath behind him and Mello's irritation faded away slightly as he was pulled to rest against Matt's chest. And despite the fact that he was supposed to be the one taking care of Matt, not the other way around, it felt nice.

"I'm going to have to wrap your wounds again after this." Mello mumbled, though his thoughts were really on nothing in particular. He attributed it to the warmth of the water and how it seemed to sooth him into relaxing. He didn't usually take warm showers for the exact same reason. But for this once he supposed that it was alright.

"Is that all you think about these days? Me and L?" Matt questioned as his fingers slid along Mello's arms, though not in an overly sensual manor. It was only after an oddly perfumed scent reached his nose did Mello grasp that Matt had opened the bottle of body wash that sat on the edge of the bath.

"For the moment, yes. But you were always in my thoughts for one reason or another." he admitted almost lazily as Matt's fingers trailed across his chest and danced their way down to his stomach but never played any lower.

He couldn't understand it really, how comfortable he was with Matt, how comfortable he had _always _been with him; the only exception being when he had distanced himself and thrown all his time and energy into running the Mafiya and getting closer to L. He had never even been all that comfortable around his family before their deaths, so it was surprising he could even have moments like that. Like the night before. Like every calm moment he had with Matt.

"Stop thinking so much. I know we have a lot of important things coming up soon, so just relax while you can, alright?" Matt whispered by his ear and the warm breaths made him shiver.

"Who says I want to relax?" he mumbled back, eyes half closing in response to the lazy patterns Matt's fingers drew on his stomach. The touch was soft, almost tickling in a way, and yet soothing.

Matt laughed softly, the sound reverberating through Mello's back, as Matt brought his lips to his scarred ear and gently nipped at it; Mello gasped and despite himself, arched into the touch. "The fact that you aren't hard yet says that all you want to do is relax." Matt told him, hand gently sliding over his soft flesh, with what Mello would have called smugness, but Matt had never been smug, not even when he'd had the right to be.

"You think I'm the type to get hard from that?" Mello asked dangerously, though he couldn't muster up any real annoyance at it.

"Yes Mello, you are. And when you aren't half asleep I'll prove it to you." Matt stopped stroking him, and as though proof to Matt's earlier statement Mello wasn't hard in the slightest, and took a glob of the body wash and slipped his hand back under the water to massage Mello's legs. Mello finally gave in and simply let Matt do as he wished for the moment. He wasn't in any position to argue, and really, Matt was right. He wanted to relax...

Mello was slightly surprised to find that some of the places Matt massaged had been sore; sex with Matt had been more exercise than half of the things he had to do in the Mafiya. That or he had gotten complacent, but Mello doubted that one.

Matt shifted suddenly, Mello's body sliding further down so that his head was nearly under the water, chin resting precariously above the surface. He tried to wriggle upwards but Matt didn't allow him to and he instantly stilled as he felt a pressure at his abused hole. "Sorry about that." Matt told him and the unpleasant ache left, leaving Mello to relax again. He wouldn't have stopped Matt, if the hardness that he felt was an erection like the believed it was, if the redhead had wanted to have sex again, though he was relieved that he could simply lie there for the moment.

Matt's soaped up fingers turned their attention to Mello's chest and sides, short fingernails scraping at him lightly in a way that had shivers running down Mello's spine. His skin tingled pleasantly and Mello lost himself in the sensations and allowed Matt to care for him, if only for that moment.

Sometime later Mello vaguely registered that he had been lifted, dripping water everywhere, from the bath though he hadn't opened his eyes to confirm it. And even as is body began to cool, a slightly chilly feeling attaching itself to him, he drifted even further in to the haze that had settled across his mind.

But for once, he wasn't worried about the consequences of slipping off, Matt was there and Mello trusted him... with everything.

.

.

Mello came to awareness the moment the fingers began to softly massage his scalp and blinked almost blurrily at the Matt shaped shadow above him. The lights in the room were out and the curtains drawn making it impossible to tell the time.

Mello was slightly confused as a hand went over his eyes but as the rooms' light was switched on he understood. Though Matt could have simply told him to close his eyes. He blinked slightly, his eyelashes hitting the palm of Matt's hand before he pushed the appendage away.

The light was too bright and hurt his eyes but it was better to get it over with. He withheld a yawn as his eyes finally adjusted to the light, which was actually dim.

"You missed two calls, one of them from Near."

Mello sat up quickly, instantly regretting it, but didn't allow so much as a twitch of his lips at the pain that assaulted him, though it was far less than when he had first woken, however long ago in the day that had been. Mello supposed that the fact he had even been able to fall back asleep again meant all the stress, noticeable or not, had finally caught up with him. That and Matt had tired him out.

"What did Near want?" he managed to ask as he adjusted his position on the bed, while he wondered how exactly Matt had gotten him out of the bath and into bed without waking him; he had even gotten him into a pair of boxers. He had forgotten about the call that had originally woken him that morning... it had probably been Yuriy.

"He said that Yuriy had called when he couldn't get a hold of you, wanting to know what to do about the Fedorov brothers." Matt sounded amused as well as curious. Not a good combination in Mello's mind.

"They are smalltime Mafiya thugs trying to gain favor with someone, anyone, of a higher position. They've begun to edge in on our area. They succeeded in the first part and we cant get rid of them as they have begun to interest some of our associates." Mello told the redhead; he was hesitant to even tell him that much, but from the interested look Matt had let slip, it had been the right thing.

"So are you going to call Near or this Yuriy guy?" Matt asked as he handed out Mello's phone. Mello debated for a moment before deciding that Near could pass on the message; he seemed quite comfortable in speaking with Yuriy and it might give the albino something to do other than his usual. He didn't really want Near or Matt associated with the Mafiya, but Yuriy had already contacted Near outside of Mello's orders so it was unavoidable.

"I'm going to text Near. Phone calls are too awkward with him."

Matt laughed in response, knowing it was all too true. He didn't mind too much, when Matt leaned over his shoulder to watch him type into the device, though he did get slightly annoyed as Matt's chin rested on his shoulder. He sent the text and shut the phone before tossing it to the other side of the bed.

"What did that mean?"

Mello knew Matt was referencing to the odd phrasing he had used and sighed. "Simply for Yuriy to do whatever he feels like without killing them. Though missing limbs are perfectly ok."

"Your mind scares me sometimes Mello." Matt gave him a lopsided grin and a shake of his head. Though it didn't appear that Matt was bothered by it too much as Mello suddenly found himself straddled by the redhead, lips over his own and Matt's tongue in his mouth. At that instant, Mello couldn't imagine why he had wanted to keep Matt at arms length for the simple reason of safety.

He was much safer there and under Mello's watch than he was elsewhere, it having been proven.

That and Matt had seemed to have awakened some dormant hormones in him as he got aroused far too easily from such simple contact that had Mello craving him to a point that separation would have been hell.

He groaned as Matt ground against him; the feeling of Matt's echoing hardness sent sparks of pleasure though him as his brain registered the contact. Matt's mouth left his and began to trail its way across his jaw, down to his throat where he sucked long enough for Mello to know he would have a bruise in the next day, and past his nipples to nip along his lower stomach.

Mello wasn't sure where Matt was going with everything but was more then content to let him do as he pleased. He sucked in a large breath as Matt tugged his boxers down his legs and freed his erection.

Matt smirked up at him and stuck his tongue out to lick along the shaft as he shoved Mello's legs out of the way for better access. His tongue slowly traced the vein underneath and Mello flinched slightly at the unexpected kisses planted at the head.

He watched, entranced, as Matt opened his mouth to take the head in briefly, smirking at him as he removed his mouth and repeated the process until Mello thought about simply grabbing himself and jerking off just to spite Matt.

But despite that Mello still tossed his head back when Matt's sinful lips finally wrapped more fully around him, encasing him completely; Mello couldn't stop his hand from tangling his fingers in the redheads soft hair and pushing that hot mouth even closer.

Having close to zero experience in the area of sex Mello had never enjoyed a blowjob before, and damn if he wasn't enjoying it then. "Fuck. Matt..." he moaned; a sound low and needy in his throat, something he couldn't have held back had he tried.

His hips jerked up to Matt, forcing him to take even more of his erection into his mouth. The redhead's mouth was wet and so damn hot that Mello couldn't think coherently. Mello pried his eyes open and forced himself, in his blissfully pleasured state, to glance at Matt once more.

The redheads' mouth was stretched as he expertly worked Mello's cock, face flushed slightly and a look of utter concentration on his features as the erection slid in and out of his mouth. That was all it took for Mello to come, back arching like a cat with Matt's name on his lips and toes curling almost painfully as he shot his load into Matt's waiting mouth.

He laid panting, chest heaving, as Matt crawled up his body to kiss him gently on the mouth with the bitter taste of his own seed spreading across his lips from the contact. "Goddamn Matt..." he whispered breathlessly and re-tangled his fingers in that disheveled mess of red hair.

It took a few long moments for his breathing to calm enough for his attention to go beyond the rise and fall of his own chest. He could clearly feel Matt's hard on pressed against him and knew he would feel guilty if he left Matt to take care of it on his own like he supposed the redhead meant to.

He pressed his mouth to Matt's and teasingly trailed a hand down to Matt's jeans and popped the button before any objections could be made; though from the soft groan released against his mouth as his hand found its way inside the boxers there were none.

Hips rocked against him as he gripped the hardened flesh in his hand and stroked. Matt was trembling above him with need, the shakes so strong Mello felt them in their kisses. Matt broke away and gasped when he squeezed the base and jerked him harshly a few times before going back to his teasing. Matt rested his forehead against him, their lips just out of reach, and Mello felt his warm labored breath caress his face.

Mello decided that he loved Matt like that. His face flushed from exertion, eyes shut tightly in ecstasy and so utterly under his control. He _could_ stop, remove his hand from Matt and leave him to finish himself, or he could continue for a short while longer and make Matt soil himself. Mello's own heart rate quickened at the small, but exuberant feeling, accompanied from the knowledge of just how powerful his current position was. How much Matt trusted him...

Matt's breath hitched, making Mello grin widely, and he sped up the motions of his hand while he gripped Matt's hair tighter and forced their lips together. Mello's tongue invaded his mouth, running it across every bump and crevice as he finished Matt off.

The soft moan Matt let out sent pleasing vibrations through their joined mouths and moments later a sticky substance coated his fingers as Matt came hard with quick jerks of his hips. Mello had just barely managed to remove his hand from the boxers before Matt collapsed atop him, nearly winding him in the process.

"Damn you tire me out." he mumbled to the redhead who snorted in response and made no move to roll off him. Mello shook his head with a roll of his eyes and wrapped his arms around Matt, not so secretly wiping his sticky fingers on Matt's shirt. Served him right as he had started it.

"You can do wash for that." Matt mumbled into his neck making him sigh. He didn't really care at the moment. He was tired, but knowing that he had only recently woken was more than enough to keep sleep at bay. He couldn't go to sleep every time he and Matt did something. Otherwise he had a feeling all they would accomplish was sleep and sex; his lips tugged into a smile of their own accord, and he had to remind himself that it was a bad thing.

"What time is it?" he questioned his... what _was_ Matt to him. Lover? Boyfriend? Could Matt be classified to him as something other than... _Matt_? He sighed softly. Those were the type of thoughts he didn't have time to deal with for the moment.

"Well it was sometime around six before I woke you."

Mello froze in his motions, fingers stopping their unconscious motions along the redheads spine. Six? They had practically slept the entire day away! Or at least he had...

"You haven't' missed anything. And I know that you have gone over your plans with a fine toothed comb so stop worrying so much. All the stress is going to kill you if you aren't careful." Matt told him seriously, lifting his head to look at him.

"I doubt I'm stressed at the moment. I don't have the energy right now to manage it." he muttered and watched Matt's serious expression turn into that of amusement.

"I guess i'll just have to continue to make sure you're too tired to stress then." Matt kissed him and Mello could feel him grin into it. He sighed, what the hell had he gotten himself into?

So much for being a Mafiya boss... but he found he didn't mind too much.

_**-End Clean- **_

**AN:** You have no idea how hard it was for me not to write bath sex... but Mello's poor ass needed a break. :)

And DAMN i have no idea where the blowjob scene came from... i sat down to write and then BAM suddenly Matt was all up on him...

Anyway...

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Tears Of A Wolf, hobomara, Slayers64, Moon's and Skyrockets, PWN3D, Seith, Cheerful-Pessimist, Ashleigh131, Alexis S, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, foreverunloved, KaiyaMinPop, DeathNotes-Matt-Chan,

critter141151, schoolkid


	29. Chapter 25: Hotel

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note

**Suggested Listening**: Scream With Me** by **Mudvayne

**Chapter Twenty-Five**: _Hotel _

Mello sat in the uncomfortable café chair, in the outside portion and under one of the large umbrella like fixtures, as he waited for Yagami. Mello was early and he was antsy. He tipped the large glasses he wore down his face ever so slightly to gain a better view of those who passed by on the streets; though he did it in such a way that it looked natural instead of suspicious.

He was wearing his customary leather, which was hidden under the bulky red jacket with its hood pulled up, as he uneasily sipped at some iced beverage. The only other additive to the outfit was the black sunglasses, well that and Matt had made him pull his hair back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck; his bangs fell half into his face so he didn't see the point despite Matt telling him it camouflaged him.

He had thought about wearing a disguise but in the end couldn't bring himself to do so. He had needed it to get out of Russia and L's watchful eye, but until he had proof that L had tabs on Japan as well he would be a little less extreme in his hiding. That wasn't to say he was going to waltz around with his face showing to everyone either...

"Mello, quit frowning." he jerked slightly at Matt's voice in his ear before smoothing out his features. He had forgotten about the ear piece he was wearing; something that Matt had been able to acquire from the Internet and tweak a little bit to get better range and clarity. Mello hadn't allowed Matt to be in the vicinity with him. He was watching, via the cameras around that area, from his laptop at least two blocks away inside of his car. Or at least that's where he was _supposed _to be. Hell if Mello actually knew where the redhead was, Matt was the type not to follow instructions if he didn't like them too much.

And while generally it didn't bother him too much, it almost had him grinding his teeth in anger that Matt might be closer to danger because of his personality. _"Seriously Mello, you're going to make people stare at you even more. You went to a public place for a reason, to blend in. Right now, you're standing out." _Matt sounded slightly amused as well as slightly chastising. Mello found that funny coming from him.

"Matt, be quiet." he hissed as quietly as he could. Matt simply laughed loudly in his ear making him wince. If things kept going that way, it was going to be a long day. His eyes scanned the crowd and he nearly smirked at the person who passed by him, though managed to keep his expression the same. So it was time...

Hardly five minutes later a tall man with chestnut colored hair and a brown suit and slacks calmly and distinctively walked up to his table and peered under the umbrella fixture with a disarming smile that didn't work on Mello who had seen many of them in his short life.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" the man, Yagami, asked. Mello shook his head and motioned for him to sit down. All was silent for a few moments, background sounds being blocked out as Mello met Yagami's stare.

"So M, you arranged this, what do you want?" Yagami's tone was kind and his expression was friendly, but there was a sharp gleam in his eyes. Mello would have to watch himself around him.

"Mello."

Yagami looked at him oddly for a split second before the meaning of the word sunk in.

"I did state I would tell you my name in person." he shrugged a shoulder slightly and took a sip of his drink, the ice had melted a lot and it tasted watery.

"I want to know why you started looking into L and what you have found out, just how far into the truth you have gotten." Mello told him.

Yagami was silent for a moment, as though weighing his options, before he finally spoke. "I stumbled upon everything by accident. It started with a case that I had come across while looking through some of our cold cases in storage; it holds the stations only paper backups, everything else is computerized on the system."

"There had been a decrease in new cases so we had time to look into some past ones, but I found inconsistencies between what was on paper and what was in the system. At first I believed it was simple human error... but before long it became apparent that there was more to it." Yagami paused as the waitress came along and asked him if he would like anything. He ordered a coffee with no sugar. Mello frowned in distaste.

They waited in silence until the waitress brought his coffee before continuing. "I wasn't able to find any trace of the victims family, friends or even a mention of her in past news articles even using the NPA's recourses. It was as though they had never existed despite my father remembering the case." Yagami took a mouthful of coffee but had never once taken his eyes off of Mello.

"That was when I was certain there was something more going on. I didn't mention it to anyone else as I didn't have any proof." it was then that Yagami smirked. "I used some less than legal hacking methods and found something connected to it. A post made from an anonymous user requesting information on an article concerning the murder of a Mafiya boss and his sons subsequent disappearance."

Mello froze, remembering the day when Matt had shown him everything... and it was only when Matt shouted in his ear did he realize Yagami had an odd expression on him. "We should continue someplace where everyone who is listening in on the meeting can be seen."

Mello sneered at him, ignoring the smug expression Yagami had adopted. "The same should go for the agent you have with you." Yagami's face became expressionless for a moment before he sighed.

"I suppose it should have been obvious as no one in their right mind would come alone. You have my trust on a very minimal level for the moment, as I don't believe even someone like you could fake that reaction."

Mello dropped Yagami's gaze, despite the thoughts on Yagami being too naive; though perhaps the older man was good at reading people, he had read him correctly after all. "Where would you have us reconvene?" Mello questioned and took a long sip of his watery caffeinated drink afterwards; he needed to get the unexpectedly bitter taste from his mouth.

Even after four years... the memories were still too fresh.

Mello knew that had he had the proper environment to grieve, he might have been able to ignore reactions like he'd just had... but L had prevented it. L had caused him to settle on anger and revenge leaving no time for anything else. Though perhaps, as time passed, he could look back without the pain the memories caused.

"You choose." Yagami requested, his smile-mask back in place.

"Get to it M, you're the one with the computer." Mello snapped, knowing very well that Yagami had heard Matt yelling to him earlier he didn't bother to hide his conversation.

"_So I'm M now? And I was already on it. I have a hotel suite booked, just give me two seconds and I'll have everything sent to your phone."_ Matt's tone held amusement though Mello didn't find anything about the situation amusing. However, he couldn't help the slight quirk of his lips as his phone beeped not three seconds later.

_"I'll see you there Mello." _Matt jokingly blew him an exaggerated kiss that had him rolling his eyes. He knew it was useless to tell Matt not to come, as Matt tone alone suggested nothing Mello did or said would deter him. Matt had already stated that should anything else regarding Yagami happen, he wasn't staying out of it. And though Mello could argue that it was the same meeting, he knew Matt wouldn't cave.

Mello took a moment to pull out his phone to review the information before copying certain parts, the directions and room number, and sending it to Yagami's phone. It was so much easier than having to write it out or tell him directly. He had already taken a risk in the crowded public place.

He waited until Yagami's own phone let off a shrill ring before looking at the man. "Those would be the directions to the hotel we will be meeting at. Please wait at least ten minutes before leaving here in case we are being watched." Mello dropped a crumpled twenty dollar bill onto the nearly spotless table and stood, leaving his half-empty drink where he had sat.

He didn't need to look back to know that Yagami still sat there.

Mello made it the two blocks to his newly acquired motorbike, grimacing as he sat on the not yet broken in seat, and kicked off into the streets. He was closer to the hotel than Matt was, despite the redhead having a head start. Though if Matt drove as fast as he liked to he might end up there before him. Whatever happened though, they would both be there before Yagami and _his_ backup.

Not too much time passed from when Mello left the cafe to when he was using the keycard to get into the hotel room. He gratefully shrugged off the red jacket, tossing it onto a nearby chair after he had extracted two chocolate bars from it, and seated himself onto the couch that faced the doorway. He gently tossed his sunglasses onto the seat next to him before adjusting himself so that he was half sprawled out on the hideous floral print couch and rested his boots atop the too clean wood coffee table in front of him.

In the process of unwrapping his chocolate with one hand and his teeth the door swung open as Matt waltzed inside. Matt stopped to admire him and Mello could only imagine the thoughts running through his head. He didn't have to wait long before Matt walked up to him and pulled him into a kiss, chocolate half melted in his mouth. Matt tasted of cigarette and Mello wondered just how many he'd smoked on the way over.

Matt grinned at him as he pulled back, needing air. "You look every inch the Mafiya boss you are with your demeanor so damn calm and decked out in that leather." Matt told him while nipping at his jaw.

"Down boy." he commented, flushing, as he pushed Matt off of him.

"I know, go stand in the corner like a creepy stalker." Mello could really only blink at the redhead after that.

"What? I know you too well by now. You want me out of sight for a little while." Matt shrugged and wandered off to some place in the room where he was concealed. Honestly, he should have expected that from Matt. He sighed, feeling the lingering taste of Matt on his tongue, and bit into his chocolate rather than snapping off a piece. He needed that distracting flavor of smoke out of his mouth.

Matt had changed, Mello decided, since he had taken the chance to kiss him all those weeks back. But it wasn't a bad change. In fact, Mello rather liked it.

There was a knock on the door a short while later and Mello immediately yelled 'come inside' and watched wearily as the door clicked open. Yagami and a dark haired man in a blue suit walked inside. The man beside the brunette took one look at him and gaped. "He's just a kid!"

Mello smirked widely, chocolate hanging almost limply from his fingers as his arm rested along the back of the couch. "Hardly, I'm almost legal." he said suggestively and though Mello couldn't actually see Matt he _could_ picture the amused expression he was likely to have at that.

"Matsuda, enough." Yagami told the man, Matsuda, next to him sharply. Matsuda immediately straightened up and fixed Yagami with an apologetic expression. Mello almost felt bad. Almost being the key.

"Matsuda is a fellow police officer, the reason he's here is because he is the only in the NPA besides my father that I trust. And I'm sure you know why I haven't dragged him into this mess."

Mello rose an eyebrow. The _only_ other one that he trusted?

"A few of the other officers I'm around a lot have been acting... off, as of late. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, but some of the things they have been doing are suspicious enough for me to keep them out of this. I will say though, that it only began after I started to dig into the cold case connected with L, it could be a coincidence..." Yagami trailed off and Mello knew that the brunette didn't really believe that it was mere coincidence. And really, too many things had happened recently for it to have been anything other than L's interference.

"Hey... where's your partner?" Matsuda asked as he looked around; Mello watched as Yagami's face twitched ever so slightly in annoyance. Mello heard a soft rustling, Yagami tensing, and watched as Matt stepped into view.

He watched as Light surveyed his lover carefully, noting the game in his hands and the unlit cigarette in his mouth almost wearily. "I have a gun stuffed in the inside of my vest if that's what you're looking for. If it makes you feel better we can all put our pieces on the table?" Matt commented without looking up and not for once Mello was struck by just how observant Matt could be when he truly wanted to.

"Alright." Light commented, face a perfectly composed mask of indifference, as he placed his own gun on the table, though his hand remained firmly across it until Matt had paused his game and reached behind his head to pull the glock free. Matsuda glanced nervously at him from a few feet away, hands almost shaking on his own weapon before Mello sighed and yanked the gun from his leather and tossed it on the table with a clatter; a noise so loud Yagami had flinched.

Then, and only then, did Matsuda place his gun on the table with the others. Matt however, had his hand stuffed into the back of his jeans to pull out another gun causing all eyes to drift to him.

"What?" he mumbled around his cigarette "I never said I only had one."

The flippancy in his voice had Mello pressing his palm to his eyes in annoyance. Matt's attitude would get him shot one day. "Pull up a seat if you will." he muttered with a barely withheld sigh.

And the two policemen did so, after a moment of hesitation, until they were seated at the other side of the coffee table looking more like Mello's underlings than equals, something Mello was sure amused Matt more than he let on.

Matt had taken a seat on the arm of the couch to Mello's direct left, his game back in hand and vest comfortably back in place. "Shall we continue on from where we left off at the café?" Mello questioned.

"That's fine by me. I will start off with the fact I believe you to be that murdered Russian Mafiya bosses son, as well as he fact that your attitude leads me to believe you, yourself are in the Mafiya as well."

Mello forced his expression to stay the same, a feral grin threatening to take over. Yagami was not an idiot like he was used to dealing with and he shouldn't have been surprised that the moment he had seen his face Yagami had been putting the pieces together.

"That's neither here nor there; for the record though, I'm not in the Mafiya." Mello enjoyed the flicker of doubt that went through Yagami's features before they settled again with more conviction than before. This is good, Mello thought, Yagami wasn't the type to be easily swayed.

That meant that even should L get his claws into the man before him the raven haired man wouldn't be able to sway him to his cause. Though it would probably lead to Yagami's death in that case. Yagami gave him a look that clearly stated 'I am not wrong' and the brunette reclined in the chair as much as he could as he surveyed Mello.

It was obvious further conversation would not be under way until Yagami was satisfied. "I'm not in the Mafiya... I run it."

The reaction was instantaneous; Matsuda stood from his chair and yelled in shock while Yagami went rigid. Had he not expected someone so high up? Mello withheld his comment whilst Matt snorted softly at all the commotion. "Light we can't work with a Mafiya boss!"

Mello narrowed his eyes at Matsuda until Yagami laid a hand on the distraught policeman's arm. "We can and we will. There is something going on and we need to get to the bottom of it. This goes far beyond petty criminals and the Mafiya, especially if it all leads to L." Yagami spoke firmly and forced Matsuda to sit down, though it was done so gently. Matsuda looked conflicted for a moment, but seeing Yagami's unwavering attitude, slumped his shoulders in resignation.

"I believe you know far more about the situation than I first thought..." Yagami trailed off for a moment "...and that your choice to run the Mafiya has something to do with it. Where did you go for the years you weren't in it, the years you disappeared?"

Mello sucked in a small breath, uncomfortable with just how much Yagami had inferred and had gotten correct in just the span of their meeting. "There is an orphanage called Wammys House; the children there want for nothing. It is also a place L uses to find and train heirs for the title of L. It is literally a house for genius children." Mello snapped off a piece of chocolate, needing the rich flavor of the dark bar to sooth his nerves. He hated remembering that place.

"Some of the kids weren't brought there legally." Matt cut in and Mello was surprised he had spoken again.

Yagami's eyes had widened slightly before a look of understanding broke through. As Mello had correctly assumed, the case Yagami had been talking about, with the missing girl and her mysteriously vanishing family, had to do with Wammys. Mello had to wonder if he had ever met that child or teen.

"When a child of genius proportions is discovered and found acceptable by L, he brings them to Wammys by any means necessary." Matt's tone had turned slightly bitter towards the end, and the flick of a lighter catch and the acrid smell of smoke filled the air, but Mello wouldn't dare tell him to put it out.

"Kidnapping and Murder...L?" Yagami muttered. "How did you come by this information?"

That was when Matt grinned mirthlessly and explained his hacking tendencies and what he had found as a child.

Mello watched his lover discreetly from the corner of his eye and loved the way he held everyone's attention despite not having taken his eyes off his game. The way his red hair flopped gracelessly over his goggles and his lips parted to hold the cigarette gave Mello pause; he wondered if he ever would have told Matt what he felt had it not been for his abduction not too long before. He'd like to think he would have... because his life would have seemed just a little bit too bleak otherwise.

"So L... is bad?" Matsuda muttered, seemingly having a difficult time comprehending the matter. He looked stricken, like a puppy that had just been kicked.

"It would appear so, and I am more than willing to believe Mello and his partner as everything fits into place. If L really has done all of this... than he needs to be stopped before more lives are ruined."

Mello sensed that it was time to end things for the day. Everyone had things to think on, and overwhelming them wouldn't do any good.

"We should end things here for today. Though I would like to ask one last thing before you leave." Yagami nodded to him somewhat wearily. "Are you willing to work with us?" Mello asked seriously. If Yagami wasn't, then Mello knew he might have to kill him. Yagami had seen his face after all.

"Yes... I suppose it will mainly be information exchange?" Yagami questioned as he stood, grabbing his gun and placing it safely at his hip.

"At least until the final confrontation takes place."

"I suppose you will be contacting me then as I don't have your number?" Mello nodded, with a wide grin, at Yagami's question. It was obvious that the man had wanted a number, but until Matt fixed up another phone for that purpose alone it would have to be that way.

"Take this. Use it only if you really need to contact us." Mello turned at the sound of Matt's voice and was only able to glance at the piece of paper before it was handed over. It had looked like some sort of e-mail address, though Mello hadn't even seen the redhead writing it.

"State in it that you need us to call, and nothing more than that for security purposes." Matt commented, going back to his perch on the couch.

"I suppose you'll be in touch. Matsuda, lets go." Yagami gave them one last look before he practically had to drag the other police officer out of the room. There would be a lot Mello needed to work out concerning Yagami, but if everything panned out then it would be worth it. The door closed with a soft click and was locked instantly.

As soon as the door was shut Mello was surprised by a pair of lips on his own but simply wrapped his arms around the gamer and kissed him until they were both breathing heavily and had fallen onto the couch in a pile, smirking.

"What do you say we make good use of our time left in this room?" Matt suggested with a wag of his eyebrows, something so uncharacteristic of the redhead that Mello had to let out a small laugh. He bit his lip for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"Fuck it, why not." he muttered with a shrug. The response was immediate as Matt crawled off of him and yanked him from the couch.

"Matt put me the fuck down!" he yelled as he was thrown over the redheads' shoulder. Matt's response was to smack his ass, an action that caused Mello to grow hard and his face tint pink in embarrassment.

"You liked that didn't you?" Matt laughed. Mello growled but it was cut short as Matt dropped him to the bed, air going from his lungs as Matt unzipped his jeans to reveal the bulge Mello hadn't noticed from his previous position.

Matt stripped himself of his vest and shirt which left Mello feeling oddly exposed in all of his clothing. Matt crawled atop him and grinned at the expression he must have let slip onto his face; with Matt it was getting harder and harder to control himself around and he couldn't decide if it was a bad thing yet or not.

His vest was unzipped slowly and a hand tugged at the laces of his fly. "You're going to love this." Matt mumbled against his lips.

"I know." was all Mello could think to reply as his leather was removed and Matt kissed him again.

_-**End**** Hotel-**_

**AN: **ok news time! I've updated my projects list at the end of my profile, so if you're interested in whats to come check it out…

**Special thanks to reviewrs: **NikooruDesu, schoolkid, Slayers64, Tears Of A Wolf, KaiyaMinPop, XxCatalinaxX, Ashleigh131, Moon's and Skyrockets, SaneYaoiAddict, Living in a fantasy, ThornLeaf, foreverunloved, critter141151

**Review?**


	30. Chapter 26: Car

**Disclaimer**: See previous one

**AN**: This chapter got away from me. Though I doubt any of you will care. -_-;

**Suggested Listening**: The Kiss **by** Karmina; Let Go **by **The Spill Canvas

**Chapter Twenty-Six**: _Car _

Mello awoke to lips on his neck and a hand trailing lazily across his stomach, pressing against the spot that made him shiver, and sometimes the hand even dipped to stroke his morning erection. He shuddered as Matt dug his nails into his penis and Mello unconsciously arched into him.

"Fuck Matt.. can't you let me sleep in peace?" Mello moaned, though he knew he wasn't fooling anyone as bucked against the erection digging into his thigh. Perhaps sleeping on his side had been a bad idea.

"You want to go back to sleep?" Matt laughed and withdrew his hands and mouth and Mello growled.

"You woke me up now do something about it." he demanded, still half asleep and wondering where his self-control had gone. He hummed contentedly as warm hands slid over his hips and down his backside. Matt nibbled along Mello's neck, over by his ear, while his fingers teased his hole.

Mello hissed a little as dry fingers stretched him but willed himself to ignore the discomfort. He wondered at his willingness to submit to Matt so damn easily despite his decision to wait on topping.

"Move your leg..." Matt breathed into his ear and he complied with the hand guiding him; his knee was brought up to his chest and he gripped the sheets as Matt slowly pressed into him. He had gone in dry and it stung more than Mello would have admitted.

Sex that morning was slow and unrushed and teasingly sensual. It left them both panting in the aftermath of a mind-blowing orgasm.

"You can't tell me you minded me waking you up." Matt stated as his warm breath caressed Mello's shoulder, cooling him despite the warmth. He could only hum his response, too comfortable with Matt half draped across him to do much else.

Matt laughed at him and twisted him to lie on his back and underneath the redhead who's lips descended on him. Mello was quite aware of the lack of clothing they still wore, the heat of the others skin, but felt no pull that indicated he would get hard again soon; he wasn't worried as Matt's penis was still soft against him as well.

He sighed into the kiss and wondered about the brilliance of letting Matt get his way so much.

Mello _liked _having Matt at his mercy and under his control, and just the thought of what it might feel like to be inside of him sent shivers down his spine, but despite that he found that he didn't mind Matt taking control and dominating him. He couldn't understand it as it went against his nature…

"So Mello..." Matt began, pulling away from his lips leaving Mello feeling oddly incomplete, and slid his legs to straddle him.

"Your informant is Matsuda. How'd you pull that one off?"

Mello realized that he shouldn't have been surprised as Matt had proven again and again that he noticed a great many things while keeping his attention on his games. He shook his head, damp hair sticking to the side of his face, and smiled a little at him. "How could you tell? His acting was flawless."

And it was true. Matsuda was so completely in character that had Mello not known him before he might have assumed that was the mans actual personality. And while the man really was too soft to have been much help to Mello in the mafiya, he made a great informant. Though if asked he would only say Matsuda was adequate.

"Don't know if I should be offended or not..." Matt told him, obviously referring to Mello's previous surprise. "It was the way that he deliberately and conveniently directed the conversation in the direction it needed to go for Yagami to come to the correct decisions regarding L. Yagami is a genius, that I can tell, but how he hasn't noticed Matsuda yet I don't know."

Matt's reasoning was correct, in all areas. "Well let's hope he never does." he mumbled. Despite liking to work on his own, or he supposed at least including people he trusted completely, he needed Matsuda as an inside source.

"I think that... perhaps Yagami trusts him to be too loyal to do anything of the sort so he ignores all the signs, if he even see's them." Mello stared at Matt for a moment, head cocked to the side, before he reached up and pulled Matt in for another kiss. God how he loved that boys mind.

And he trusted Matt's insight better than his own in that area, despite being a recluse, Matt was the best judge of a person out of him and Near. Matt was the least emotionally... damaged. Though Mello liked to believe they were catching up to the redhead, albeit slowly.

"Mhhm. As much as I'd love to stay like this, we need to shower and leave. We are over our time by a good hour already and I'd rather no one walked in on us." Matt told him as he unpinned him. Mello frowned. Matt made him loose his sense of time so easily...

He accepted the hand held out to him and he winced slightly as he stood. Matt penetrating him dry left him sore. He ignored Matt's knowing grin, instead walking to the bathroom the room had come with. He half thought about locking Matt out, but decided it wasn't worth it. Matt would just pick the lock anyway.

To his surprise, the redhead behaved and simply allowed them to wash off without it turning into sex, despite Matt soaping him up. He toweled himself dry and didn't let himself think on how fast things had changed, just how close he had let Matt get to him...

Love or not... Mello had never been that close to anyone, even when they were at Wammys, and it was a hard thing to accept... to get used to. Gooseflesh pimpled across the skin of his arm where Matt's fingers touched him, ran along him teasingly. It was difficult... but Mello was surprising even himself with how much he didn't mind the changes.

He watched Matt as he dressed himself, long legs slipping into those tight jeans and creamy skin being hidden with layers of fabric. He felt the stirrings in his lower half and regretfully pulled his gaze free before it became a problem.

He tugged on his leather and had the flies laced before Matt had even looked over, goggles covering his eyes once more. "I assume we aren't going directly back to the apartment?" Matt questioned as he lit a cigarette. Mello frowned at the cancer stick but ignored it as he zipped up his vest.

"No we're not. If you have to get anything then we will do it right now. Just because we were here overnight doesn't mean we aren't being watched." Matt sighed at him and got his boots on as Mello looked around for his own. That was the problem with flinging things around during sex. You can't always find them afterwards when you needed them.

"I think I saw one under the bed." Matt commented from the couch as he watched him. Mello rolled his eyes. "How very helpful Matt, just sit on your ass and point me in the right direction." he muttered sarcastically.

Matt smirked and pointed to the bed; Mello simply ignored him at that point. He got onto his hands and knees, having to crawl halfway under the bed in the process, but did find one of his boots. He had to wiggle a bit to get back out from under the bed, but with no damage done to his person he decided it had been worth it. He did need that boot...

He still didn't know where the other one was. "Sure the other one isn't under there Mello?" Mello arched an eyebrow at Matt's comment before it dawned on him.

"You just wanted to watch my ass. Fucker."

"No, I really had seen the boot under there." Matt told him innocently as he put his hands up in the customary 'I surrender' position, though the smirk he wore told a different story. The boot had probably only been half under the bed and had been kicked the rest of the way.

Horny bastard.

"Your other boot is behind the bathroom door. I have no idea how it got there though. I didn't think I flung it that hard..." Matt trailed off and sounded thoughtful. Mello wondered if he should be wary of their next sexual encounter but then decided he simply didn't care and went to retrieve the boot. Sure enough it was right behind the bathroom door; Matt obviously hadn't wanted him to find it immediately.

Hadn't he been the one who wanted to leave?

Or had it simply been the fact he hadn't wanted them to get caught with their pants down, quite literally?

In the end he never voiced the thought and finally slipped his jacket and sunglasses on. "I'll leave first and you wait a few minutes. We're parked in different spots anyway. Call me and tell me what you want to do." he told the redhead and once he received a nod he left the hotel room. He needed to return the key.

Just as the day before, the teller gave him an odd look, but once seeing that the bill had already been paid, wished him a good day. Fucking ingrates, Mello thought. He stalked out of the building, irritated but not angry, and after making sure he wasn't being followed, that he could see, he got to his bike and waited. He didn't want to be on the road when Matt called.

He waited impatiently for almost fifteen minutes, and just when worry had begun to creep into his mind a car honked at him. Matt sat in his car, windows rolled down despite the cold, and waved him over. "You used tracked my phone didn't you?" he accused, though he wasn't actually annoyed with the redhead. Not yet.

Matt shrugged and blew smoke in the opposite direction, which Mello appreciated. "Want to grab something to eat? Can be take-out for all I care."

He leaned against the car in thought. Although it had been some time since they had set foot in a real restaurant, not since they were practically children, he decided that it couldn't be risked. L might not be looking in their area yet, or at least there was no indication, but he didn't want to leave any traces of them either. "Take-out. And make sure you erase the video surveillance for the hotel." he said as an afterthought.

"What do you think took me so long? I wasn't taking fifteen minutes to track you." he was close enough to see Matt roll his eyes and frowned at him.

"Do I want to know what you did with the other five minutes?"

Matt laughed. "Probably not. Might give you nightmares."

The problem with Matt was that he couldn't always tell when he was joking. Though from the odd quark of his lips, he was that time. Had he taken any longer Mello would have suspected he'd been jerking off.

"You can choose, I don't really care where we go." he hesitated but gave Matt a quick kiss, which had the gamer grinning, and hopped onto his bike.

Matt really was making him soft. He shook his head and followed Matt out of the parking lot. It hadn't been what he'd planned on doing, the entire point of not being seen together going out the window, but he found he didn't mind too much.

He sighed heavily as Matt pulled into the drive through of some American burger joint; trust Matt to be in Japan and still eat that greasy hamburger shit. He was going to have to do a grocery run to make sure he had stuff to cook for the rest of the week. They were going to die of a heart attack at this rate before L could even get to them, or Mello get him. He didn't bother to call Matt to see if he would order for him, he knew better after taking them there. At least it wasn't strictly a burger place, though he _knew _that's what Matt would get, so Mello didn't have to eat them.

He watched Matt pull up to the drive through to wait and he glanced over the menu. Chicken sandwich, fries and chocolate cake it was. The service was quick, which meant the food was about as good as garbage, though it smelt good whilst in the bag.

He followed Matt out of the parking lot and was curious as Matt pulled in behind another place and parked, they were lucky enough to be in an area that actually_ had _parking spaces.

Figuring Matt wanted him for something he grabbed his food after he secured his bike and opened the passenger side door to see Matt grinning at him. "It's better scenery than our apartment." Matt commented as he set down his syrupy drink. And sadly Mello had to agree. That, and Matt probably knew that once they were home it was back to work.

Mello had to contact Matsuda as well as Yuriy and inform Near of what was going on. Then he had to plan. He'd had to change plans when Matt had been injured, and L's trail had grown cold by that point. But he was far from out of ideas.

L was gearing up to go against organized crime, but Mello wasn't going to make it easy for him. And neither was his mafiya once he had Yuriy break it to them. Mello kept a tight lid on the information and had intended to keep it that way until he knew what he wanted to do but he had begun to wonder if letting the men stew and become anxious wasn't a better solution. They would be more aggressive, but more likely to listen to orders if it meant getting one step ahead of the law.

"Mello, stop thinking. Leave that for later." Matt told him softly. Mello blinked and looked to Matt who pointed at his hands; his sandwich already half gone without even having realized he had opened it. He sighed. He took a bite and realized he would have been happier had he eaten the entire thing whilst unaware. It tasted awful.

"Don't look so sour." Matt mumbled around a burger and Mello couldn't contain his glare.

"We'll stop and get you a salad or something, will that make you happy?" Mello couldn't tell if the redhead was being sarcastic or not and deigned not to answer. Just because he didn't like to _feel_ his arteries clogging didn't mean he liked salads.

He finished the last few bites of the sandwich and took only one bite of the chocolate cake and nearly gagged. He decided he was going to buy himself and entire box of expensive chocolate just for having to shove that disgusting shit down his throat.

"Lets get going. We need supplies and I need chocolate _now_." he hadn't planned on staying at the hotel for so long and had run out of the confection. He had hoped to get his fix from the cake but that wasn't happening anytime soon; he would rather eat a box of sidewalk chalk than take another bite of the other.

Matt sighed and took one last burger from the bag and crumpled the paper up and tossed it from the window as Mello made to open the door. "Why don't we just come back for the bike. Any shopping place is bound to be busy so finding two parking spaces will be difficult if not impossible."

He sighed at Matt's logic. He hated to admit the redhead was right so simply settled for making sure the door was secured and leaned back in the seat, arms crossed. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Matt smirk as he stuffed the burger into his mouth and started the car. What the hell happened to the days when Matt simply stayed silent and sometimes muttered something perverted under his breath?

Then again... Mello didn't really miss those days.

"Do you even know where you are going?" he finally asked. He wanted his chocolate and wanted to go home, though he wasn't looking foreword to working on anything; Matt's lazy habits must have rubbed off on him.

"No clue. Just thought I'd wing it."

And that was exactly what Mello had thought. He didn't comment on it though and simply waited for Matt to find a place, which he did...eventually. Japan was so completely different from Russia that Mello found himself watching the people and the buildings. He had been born in Russia, but hadn't ever really been able to enjoy it, and now... he longed to go back.

But there was too much to do for him to get lost in nostalgia. He shook off the feeling and the second Matt found a spot to park in, not exactly a parking space either, he was out of the car with his hood and glassed pulled on; he knew Matt had followed him from the _thunk_ of the boots on the walkway.

"We are here to get essentials and no, before you ask, frozen food and energy drinks are not essentials." Matt muttered something under his breath and Mello knew it was probably best he hadn't heard it. One less thing for him to get pissed at.

He wasn't really worried about losing Matt in the store, even less when he noticed Matt hadn't wandered off like Mello had thought he would, with the small size. It had produce and that was all Mello cared about. That and canned foods. Granted he would have to make due with the Japanese foods but there were some dishes that weren't bad.

He wondered if there was a specialty store or something that would have more normal fruits and vegetables, he was fine with daikon but he wasn't all that certain Matt would eat it. Then again it would be diced up so he didn't have to know about it. He added it to the small basket he had taken on the way in and noticed with surprise as Matt added a few things into the basket as well.

Or maybe he shouldn't be surprised. Japan was the country that made a lot of the redheads games, and Matt did know how to speak it. He just hadn't thought Matt would be willing to eat things from it other than the snacks.

"If you put up with me cooking you can go grab some snacks." Matt looked up from his game and his lips twitched upwards briefly before he left. Mello had a feeling that Matt would have gone out and grabbed stuff anyway, at least this way Matt would eat whatever was made without complaining, though he was _generally_ alright about it.

He was somehow unsurprised as Matt came back with his own basket filled entirely with snacks, though Mello did note that there were bars of chocolate in there. "What are those?" Mello asked as he squinted to read the fine print on one of the can that jutted out of the side.

"It's coffee. Well, ice coffee." Matt shrugged. "They don't have any sort of drinks I like so these will do."

Mello got the feeling that Matt would end up liking those far more than his precious energy drinks. They were probably better for him too. He would have to compare the cans later; he knew Matt still had at least one can of the other at home.

Matt followed him around as he picked up a few more items, adding his own to Mello's basket every once and a while. They ended up with far more than Mello had wanted to get but he supposed that was what he got for allowing Matt to get snacks. He wouldn't complain though as he saw the amount of chocolate Matt had picked out for him.

Though he didn't wonder about Matt's sanity at the strawberry chocolate...

He handed over some American bills, the only currency that mostly everyone took, and was given money back in Yen, he stuffed it in Matt's vest pocket and grabbed some of the bags and left the rest for Matt.

"We should have gotten a place with a working elevator." Matt grumbled, a new cigarette in his mouth, as he stumbled over to the backseat with his load of bags. Mello rolled his eyes and waited impatiently for the door to open while he silently agreed. The elevator had been broken since they had gotten there.

"You could always attempt to fix it."

Matt looked dubiously at him and he grinned. The second the passenger side was unlocked Mello was inside. While it wasn't as cold as Russia had been this time of year, it was still enough to cause chills. He fiddled with the cars heating and found it would only turn on to a low setting before it quit completely. "Piece of junk."

"You're in a mood aren't you? You just want things to complain about." Matt laughed softly at him and Mello chose to ignore him for the duration of the ride back to his bike, which was still there in the small space. He had half expected it to have been stolen or damaged.

"Hey Mello?"

He looked over at the tone of voice and was greeted with Matt's lips. He sucked in a breath and tasted smoke and something almost cinnamon like. Matt's fingers were behind his head, pushing them closer and he could feel the stirrings in his groin. Fuck, the things he does to me, Mello thought.

Matt mumbled his name and attempted to tug Mello out of his seat and onto his lap with little success. He was going to blame Matt for this. Completely blame him, if they were caught by someone.

"This is the _last_ fucking time today." he growled as he straddled the grinning redhead. Damn, Matt made him loose control so fucking easily. He ground his erection into Matt and loved the low groan he received. The windows had long ago been rolled up though it was still unbearably cold in the car, there would be no taking off of clothing unless necessary.

He sucked on Matt's bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth as he unzipped the gamers jeans and freed his erection from mushroom printed boxers. Matt jerked against him, seeking the friction wrought by his hand, but Mello wasn't about to let him do that just yet and moved his hand away much to Matt's disappointment.

Instead he yanked off his gloves, cold fingers or not he want about to fondle Matt with them on. They were expensive. He tossed them to the dashboard and trailed his fingers across the redheads jean covered thighs, mouth closing over the others after finally tiring of playing with his lip.

Matt groaned softly into his mouth as he ran his fingers along the underside of the erection and nearly grinned at Matt's frustration when he pulled away again. A tongue was shoved into his mouth and Mello felt the pressure of fingers at his fly laces and debated on weather or not to cooperate when it was taken out of his hands as Matt shoved the leather down his hips and over the curve of his ass. Matt had gotten quick at undoing the laces...

He heard Matt fumbling with something but was instantly distracted as Matt ground against him, pressing their erections together.

Mello jerked at something cold and wet swirling around his hole and glared as Matt silently pointed to the neglected soda cup off to the side. He was using a fucking ice cube!

"I know you have lube in here, so why do you feel the need to make my ass freeze unnecessarily?" he hissed, though to his disappointment it turned into a soft moan as Matt slipped his fingers inside him, ice cube included. He shut his eyes and unconsciously jerked back onto the fingers, moaning softly.

"You don't sound like you care all that much..." Matt trailed off and Mello knew why the second Matt's erection stretched him further than his fingers ever could have. He slapped Matt's hands away and lowered himself until Matt was fully inside of him.

"You're getting good at this Mello." Matt whispered to him, breath ghosting across his lips, as he thrust into him. There was minimal pain and Mello wondered how he had gotten used to it so quickly. He rose up and with Matt's hands guiding his hips they easily entered into a rhythm.

His exposed parts had been freezing but from the combined heat of Matt's cock throbbing inside of him and the exertion of the actual sex he could feel heat spread across him easily. His motions faulted for a second as Matt removed one of his hands and started to pump him, cool fingers gliding across his penis slowly and deliberately.

The cars windows had fogged up and the air had gotten warmer despite their breath still coming out into the air as little white clouds. Mello rested his head against Matt's shoulder and used his hands to steady himself as he forced himself down harder, trying to make Matt strike his prostate with every roll of his hips.

Matt's lips had turned their attention to his neck, what he could reach of it, and Mello grit his teeth as Matt's tongue molested the exposed skin. When Matt bite down on him he didn't expect it to instantly send him over the edge.

He tossed his head back with a silent cry and Matt moved with him as he leaned back further, taking every inch of Matt into him as he spurted his semen against Matt's vest. They both started in alarm as the cars horn went off; Mello having been pressed too hard against it.

He laughed breathlessly and leaned away from the horn, still rocking against Matt until the redhead released, laughing slightly, inside of him. His heart pounded in his chest from the scare and current exhaustion, and despite the sticky feeling he was left with as Matt pulled out of him, he didn't regret it. They weren't going to have sex in the car again, but for that once was fine.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not going to let me do this in the car again?" Matt mumbled against him. He tiredly yanked up his leathers and watched with a raised eyebrow as Matt laced them for him.

"That's because I'm not. Too fucking messy. You can get these dry-cleaned now, I'm not having my leather smell like sex." Matt snorted at him and patted his ass teasingly. Mello couldn't win. He moved back into his own seat and squirmed slightly at the squishy feeling and grimaced as it only got worse as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"I'll see you at the apartment." he called, noting how Matt had lit a cigarette, as he shut the door. He mounted his bike and took a quick glance at the car, rolling his eyes at the completely fogged up windows. That wasn't obvious at all.

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and sighed as he revved the engine. It was going to be a long ride home.

**-End **_**Car**_**-**

**AN:** Touta Matsuda.

Yes, you got it. Matsuda is the informant. Now here me out before all you matsuda haters complain. (**anyone not having a problem feel free to skip XD**)

Here is my take; Matsuda isn't as stupid as everyone makes him out to be, he couldn't be a detective otherwise. His main problem is that he tries too hard (though I suppose he could be called simple minded) and ends up making a mess of things because of it. It's not surprising with how much everyone puts him down, wouldn't you want to prove yourself if all they asked of you was to get their coffee? He is loyal to a fault and far too trusting, and those can be assets as well as problems. If anyone read the manga (the end of it) you know how Matsuda can end up.

He is not in my favorite characters list, but neither do I dislike him.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3, XxCatalinaxX, hobomara, 9shadowcat9, Ashleigh131, ThornLeaf, KaiyaMinPop, Slayers64, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, schoolkid

**Review the smex?**


	31. Chapter 27: Fool

**Disclaimer**: See previous

**IMPORTANT**: OK, so I have been debating for a while now if I should take the sex out of this fic, including the ones from previous chapters *as the reviews have gone down since the first one* but as I was editing a friends fic where there is like sex once a chapter I decided I didn't give a fuck anymore. I may have went a little overboard with it, but at the time I was writing End Transmission there was some stuff happening on FFN that caused me to do so and now, months later, I've decided to leave it in.

That and there are a few people I talk to regularly who really only read on here so they wouldn't get to read it otherwise *I was threatened…..? ^-^* and its not fair to them.

So anyone who doesn't want to read 'those' scenes anymore can skip them. K?

Hope I don't sound bitchy, just tired and I cant hear well at the moment.

That being said, enjoy the chapter. *hint*

~gami

**Suggested Listening**: 18 Days **by** Saving Abel**; **Your love is my Drug **by** Ke$ha

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**: _Fool _

Mello had been more than happy to get back to the apartment and had hardly locked the door before he had stripped his clothing to walk naked into the bathroom. He needed another shower despite having had one not all that long ago. Had it not been for the trail of semen making its way down his leg he might have forgone one until later.

He scrubbed himself quickly as he knew that Matt wouldn't take all that long to get there. And while Matt had behaved himself earlier he doubted the redhead would do so again.

Mello had just finished toweling himself off when he heard the door slam. Matt had probably kicked it shut again. But as Mello thought on it, Matt had the groceries so he wouldn't have had any available hands.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and slipped from the bathroom, hoping to get some clothing on before he was noticed. "Mello give me a hand will you!" Matt called out to him. He sighed and padded barefoot into the kitchen where he spied Matt with his arms full, literally.

And he looked about ready to drop a few of the bags actually.

He shook his head and took a few of the bags, placing them on the counter, and felt Matt eyeing him. Just knowing that he was being eye raped was enough to make him shiver pleasantly. But he had things to do, and Matt was not included in that list for the moment.

He reached his hand into the bag and pulled out a plastic container only to drop it at the arms winding around him.

Mello sucked in a breath as Matt was suddenly pressed against his back and an erection ground into him with the soft motions of Matt's hips. Mello could feel it so completely through the thin fabric of the towel and it made it nearly impossible not to respond to it.

"Shouldn't you be out of the phase of wanting to fuck something every five minutes yet?" he wondered if Matt was making up for lost time. Hell Mello hadn't even seen him get randomly hard those last few years when Mello himself had had that problem. Mafiya or not did not exempt him from teenage hormones.

"Mello, I don't know if you remember, but we aren't even eighteen yet. We still have another year of that afterwards for the hormones to fuck with us. Though I doubt it will affect me any." Matt told him, and though he couldn't see his face from his position he knew Matt was sporting a grin.

"Aren't I just so fucking lucky. You h-horny bastard." he stumbled on his words as Matt bit along his neck, along the flesh that had already been made sensitive from their earlier escapade in the car.

"Not my fault I get hard from just looking at you. You're the one walking around in a towel anyway." Matt commented and Mello heard his zipper being undone as a hand went under the towel to slide along the curve of his ass. He shuddered at the sensation and just gave in. He had lost the moment Matt had first touched him.

He felt a spark of excitement coil in his stomach at the familiar sensation of Matt's skin sliding against him; he leaned foreword onto the counter, elbows near the edge, as he bent himself for the redhead.

Matt shifted Mello's legs further apart and grabbed something from his left and Mello narrowed his eyes at what he saw.

"Dish soap, you're using dish soap? Don't you fucking dare!" he snarled; the ice cube from earlier had been bad enough. Matt simply smacked his ass, causing a sharp intake of breath, and skipped stretching him to simply push past the ring of muscles gently.

"Oh fuck..." Matt filled him completely from that angle and had hit his prostate dead on. Mello's arms were stretched out across the tables smooth surface, fingers curled desperately into the top as he tried to simply breathe.

Matt leaned against him, his chest heating Mello's back, and let his lips wander across his shoulders, kissing and sucking the smooth skin. His heart pounded in his chest, the feeling of anticipation growing with each snap of Matt's hips against him, with each time his thighs struck the counter from the force of Matt slamming into him.

Mello's head rolled to the side allowing Matt to nip at his exposed skin. Matt had an obsession with marking him it seemed, but Mello was far past complaining. He shivered at the sensation of the towel finally sliding free of his body, its smoothness feeling like fire across his bare skin.

Matt's breathing was harsh and his breath hot against his skin and it left him shivering in its wake. He loved the soft grunts that burst forth from the redheads mouth, loved that _he_ could do that to the usually calm gamer.

Though he knew Matt did just he same to him; his fingers scratching at the surface of the table and the gasps breaching his lips case in point.

Matt was quick and ruthless with his thrusting, aiming for the same spot inside him each time and Mello had a hard time keeping pace with the pleasure running through him; Matt didn't seem to mind though as his fingers trailed like ice across his heated flesh, simply touching him.

"Matt-" he warned breathlessly; he shut his eyes and tried to calm the thudding of his heart against his ribcage, but with every thrust it only beat harder, it was almost intoxicating in a way.

He was close, so close to the edge that he welcomed the tightening of his balls and the furious coil in his belly, so much so in fact that the moment Matt's fingers wrapped around him, stroked him, touched him, his orgasm ripped through him so fiercely that the only thing that held him in place was Matt as he banged him into the counter.

Matt let out a low moan as he came and Mello couldn't help the shiver that went through him at the sound. He was thrust into a few more times before Matt collapsed atop him, both still upright by some miracle.

Mello took in gasping breaths and stayed slumped against the counter and simply listened to the beating of his heart in his ears. He was hot, the nap of his neck sweaty, and dirty and knew that another shower was in order despite knowing that he really had things to do.

Matt's fingers gently slid up and across his sides in an almost ticklish manor but it only served to relax him. He sucked in a deep breath as Matt slid out of him, leaving him feeling utterly empty at the void of contact. He groaned loudly at the sound of his cell phone ringing and shakily righted himself, legs strained from his pervious position.

He knew Matt watched him as he padded, naked, over to his phone and despite that he managed to answer with a completely contained voice. Matt had really frayed his control. So very completely.

"Mello, I can't talk long as I'm supposed to be going to the bathroom." Matsuda's voice came out as nothing more than a whisper and Mello knew it had to be something important for him to be taking such a risk.

"Alright, what's going on?"

"We were having one of our huge meetings about the crime rate going up and such, when out of the blue a man whose face was completely covered walked up and placed a laptop on the table-"

Mello's eyes widened, could he really be making his move-

"- and a gothic letter 'L' popped up on screen. L said he was going to help up make a move on crime, starting with the main organize crime syndicates. Damn I have to go, make sure to lie low for a while and don't draw attention to yourself... at least I'd like for you to do so." Matsuda hissed the last part and Mello wondered if he had always had that much of a backbone as the connection cut. But what worried him, was that L was making his move, sooner than Mello had thought.

He needed to get Yuriy informed on everything, and Near as well.

He needed to plan and make sure everyone knew what was going on; he had waited too long to inform his men, but he hoped that the kick in the ass the information that L was gunning for them would be enough...

Matt touched his shoulder silently and he thought of shrugging him off but leaned in instead, though no other parts of each other touched. "L is on the move. I need you to get Near up to speed while I deal with the mafiya." it was sooner than he had expected of L, but this was also a chance for Mello to one-up him and get his revenge... his payback for so many things that L had done to him... and to his _family_.

Matt gently nuzzled his cheek and Mello relaxed from the tenseness he hadn't even realized had invaded his being. "Just keep me informed?" Matt asked softly.

"I will." he didn't need to say any more as Matt heard the silent promise. They _were_ in it together...

"I'll put the groceries away, I know you are eager to get things arranged." Matt moved away and Mello beat down the part of himself that longed for the contact. Matt was correct that he wanted to get things done... but first he had other things to do.

He picked up the fallen towel from the kitchen floor and used it to quickly clean himself, though it was no substitute for another shower, and tossed it in with the pile of his previously discarded clothing. He rifled through Matt's clothes and stole a pair of his boxers to walk around in, he didn't feel up to tugging some leather on.

Matt was in the process of taking out the contents of the first bag when Mello re-entered the kitchen. He hesitated, something he generally didn't do, and instead of doing as planned began to put away one of the other bags.

Matt didn't say anything to him, but Mello knew he appreciated it from the soft quirk of his lips. L was important, as was the burning need for revenge... but Matt was, and should have always been, the most important. Helping with groceries wasn't much, but the extra time with him _was_.

Despite his wishes to get some healthy food into the redhead, it looked as though they would be eating takeout that night. Though he would make an effort before he gave in and let Matt dig out the takeout numbers.

With the two of them working on it the groceries were put away in hardly anytime at all and Mello hated how he was reluctant to pick up his cell phone. He was becoming far too happy to simply sit and do nothing with Matt, and he didn't like it.

He heard the click of a lighter long before the smoke invaded his senses and he moved into the main room as the call was placed.

"Yuriy get everything set up, we've run out of time. L has announced to the NPA, and I would assume other major assemblies, that he is waging war on organized crime." he said into the phone the second it was picked up. Under normal circumstances he might have even been amused at the softly spoken swear, but as it were, he was simply sick of everything pertaining to L.

"What do you want me to tell them...?" came the hesitant reply. Mello knew better than to assume that Yuriy was doing nothing on his end though, and thought that he could almost hear the soft clicks of fingers tapping away on a keyboard.

"I want you to tell them everything except that the information was withheld from them. Let them believe that it was a sudden decision on L's part and that he had only recently begun to put pressure on the heads of the families. Make sure they understand the level of threat that L poses now that he is actively after organized crime.

It is up to your digression as to when and how they are informed; tell them with fortune cookies for all I care, just get it done."

Matt snorted softly in amusement and Mello realized he had been listening in. He hadn't noticed him as he had put out his cigarette before coming in the room.

"I'll do it as soon as I inform Kain and see what he thinks." Mello knew that job would usually have fallen to Sasha, but as he was dead Kain was the only alternative out of their small group of trusted individuals.

"Fine. Now what about the Fedorov brothers, Where are we in that matter?" he directed the conversation in another direction, knowing that the previous one would be discussed in more depth once Kain was in on everything, Mello perched himself on the arm of the couch and watched as Matt moved to the other chair flipping open his phone, presumably to call Near.

He was almost certain that Near would contact Yuriy afterwards. The two of them seemed to get along rather well despite the age difference.

"Well, it can definitely be going better." Yuriy muttered softly. Mello should have known better to ask that after the information about L. It had just been asking for trouble, and he didn't need anymore of that at the moment. None of them did.

"What are you having problems with?"

"Remember how you said we couldn't kill them?" Yuriy asked and Mello seriously hoped someone hadn't fucked up in that department.

"Well now we definitely can't. Nikolai Glazov has taken them under his protection and sent a warning out that war will be brought upon anyone who so much lays a finger on them without his express permission."

"Fucking hell." Mello swore and rubbed at his temple irritably. Of all the fucking things...

Nikolai Glazov was the head of another family. And all hell would break loose should something happen to those under his protection.

"And let me guess, the little bastards are allowed to wander around and make complete messes of things and continue to fuck around in our area?" Yuriy hummed a small agreement as Mello sucked in a breath. He would have to go about this very carefully. If anything went wrong, _any_ small thing, and a war broke out between the families right when L was watching for them it would be as good as waving a damn red flag in a bulls face.

"Alright... what I'm going to have you do is going to stay between the two of us, or three if you inform Kain. You are going to arrange a hit on the Federov brothers own territory and make sure no one knows who did it. Then you are going to dispose of whoever you chose to complete the hit. I want no loose ends. I don't care how it gets done, but do it soon. We can't risk loosing important ground to idiots like the Fedorov and senile old fools like Glazov." he hissed dangerously.

Of everyone, the Federov brothers had chosen the wrong person to fuck with at the wrong time. What Mello was having done was grounds for war as well as a another target sign on his back and that of anyone close to him. But it was a risk that had to be made.

"You want to... Jesus...Pardon me sir, but are you fucking _insane_?" Yuriy asked him incredulously. Mello spread his arms out wide and let himself fall over the edge of the couch, the feeling of weightlessness creeping up on him, before he landed on the springy cushions.

_Was_ he insane?

Mello smirked.

"Very possibly. But we need them out of our way. In fact, if you need to, set someone up to take the fall and divert attention away from us."

Yuriy muttered something that sounded like a swear before he confirmed, reluctantly, that he would comply with Mello's wishes. "Yuriy, you know well that I trust you. However if you ever fail to follow my plans you will be punished accordingly. Keep that in mind." and he meant every word of it. He may be lenient with him and Kain in a way he shouldn't be, but if needed he would kill either of them. They would listen to him either out of loyalty, fear or respect. And with his attentions drawing back to L, he didn't quite care which it was anymore.

"Understood, sir."

"Good." Mello hung up after that and contemplated the margin of success that plan had and closed his eyes in irritation. Just twenty-six percent. That was all that stood between success and war. He sighed. Why couldn't things go easy for once?

"Everything alright?" Matt asked as he seated himself on Mello's lap making the blond grunt at the weight. He knew Matt had only asked as it was a conversation starter, Matt had heard him talking, and had listened despite him having been on the phone with Near.

"Not even remotely, but tell me about Near first." Matt gave him a large shrug and leaned sideways to rest himself against Mello's chest. The position they were in made it awkward but Mello found he rather liked the contact despite it being odd that Matt was fully clothed and he only in his boxers.

He brought his hand up to Matt's hair and stroked the soft and still slightly sweaty strands; he really wished it was just them, and that everything was over. But he realized that despite how fast everything was happening, it might never be over.

"Near was alright with it but said he wanted more details via e-mail. He really hates holding the phone."

Mello breathed out a sigh of amusement; he knew all too well how much Near hated phones. Come to think of it, mostly bad news came from his, perhaps he ought to get rid of it?

"He asked us to be careful... he's never said it before, not in so many words." Matt mumbled and Mello heard the undercurrent of worry. If Near was openly expressing his worry, then Mello wondered if he should be more wary. Near didn't shake easily, and it bothered him.

Matt looked up at him, only obvious as he tilted his head upwards, expectantly and he knew he was being asked to speak. Matt knew most of it, hearing his side of the conversation, but he knew Matt wanted to know everything.

"You remember when I told you about the Fedorov brothers, correct?" Mello asked, eyes drifting to the ceiling as he trailed off. Matt hummed in response, a small affirmative, and leaned further into his touch; Mello smiled softly but didn't look at him again.

"They are now under the protection of another family, and if someone harms them without permission it could start an all out war between the two families concerned.. the problem is, those two are still trying to gain parts of our territory and I can't have that. I know I sound like a dog defending a piece of meat but we would loose many allies should we have to sacrifice our position to the likes of them."

"And you need every resource at your disposal in order to get L. That and you would be seen as easy picking for other families so it would start more fights." Matt spoke half into his chest, the breaths heating Mello and making him shiver the moment his skin cooled.

"Exactly. Which is why I ordered the hit on them. There is a chance, a huge chance, that we could get discovered but to not do so would be just as bad, if not worse." and despite knowing that, Mello was still frustrated.

"Then do what you have to. Just be careful..." Matt trailed off and Mello supposed he was glad to have his goggles to hide his eyes. He brought his unoccupied hand up to Matt's cheek to caress the smooth skin and grinned as the flesh heated beneath him.

"I won't be leaving Japan. Anything that needs to be done will be done from here or by Yuriy." he knew Matt was worried about him, but he didn't need to be, at least not from the mafiya's standpoint. They wouldn't be returning to Russia anytime soon so all they had to worry about was L. Personally, Mello would rather deal with the Mafiya before L any day. Things were far less complicated with them.

But he did have to deal with L.

And it was time that he began to plan. He may not be able to make any large movements without more information, but it was the information he was after. They needed to know exactly what L was up to, what he had been looking into and whom he was targeting first from those within the crime listing.

And while Matt could do it, he wanted Matt working on one specific task at all time if at all possible. He didn't want the redhead to get burned out, and with his attention on one job at a time he would be alright. That, and he would be less likely to miss details with only one thing to concentrate his efforts onto.

With not only one, but two detectives on the inside, he should be able to at least slightly monitor L's movements. And possibly even predict whom was going to be targeted next. It would be a large asset to know just how much time he had before the ax came in his direction, if it hadn't already.

The stunt with Matt had simply been a testing of the waters before the actual attack and nothing more than that; now that he'd had plenty of time to review everything Mello was completely certain of it.

Anyone else he had been testing wouldn't know what hit them when they were finally caught in his gaze. And while Mello hated to think it, he knew L had the advantage with resources and time. The only thing they had going for them, and even that wouldn't last much longer, was surprise. L didn't know his previous successors were right in the thick of everything.

They needed as much of an offensive plan put together as they could before L hit them. It was their only chance.

He lent his head down and captured Matt's lips, slowly working his tongue between those easily parted lips. Matt shifted as much as he could in his awkward position and trailed his fingers across his bare chest making Mello shiver.

He doubted any other person could make him react in such ways, or even come close.

He breathed deeply through his nose and cradled Matt close to him as he maneuvered the redhead underneath him to lie between his parted legs. Matt gasped into his mouth, arms snaking around his body, and tugged him closer.

Mello was content to simply kiss Matt for another few minutes but pulled back before it turned to anything more, and from Matt's flushed face it definitely would have. "Fucking tease." Matt huffed out, breathless.

Mello grinned and didn't deny it, though his only intention had been to kiss Matt. "Time for play is over. There's a bit of work to do now." Matt sighed at him but Mello felt his arms slide away and he was allowed to stand up.

Things had changed and it was time to call Yagami again.

**_-End Fool-_**

**Special thanks to reviewers**: critter141151, foreverunloved, schoolkid, hobomara, ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3, Ashleigh131, Beyond'sWaraNingyo, Slayers64, Moon's and Skyrockets, PWN3D, 9shadowcat9

Review?


	32. Chapter 28: Warning Sign

**Disclaimer**: See previous

**AN**: This fic is now officially longer than Choices (I go by words w/o the AN so I dont look at Ffnets word system, which is FUCKED up btw)

**Suggested Listening**: Favorite Fantasy by Karmina; The Foreboding Sense Of Impending Happiness **by** HIM

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**: _Warning Sign_

"I suppose that you know about L announcing his intentions to the NPA then?" Yagami sounded tired and just the slightest bit annoyed, though Mello had no idea if the latter was directed towards himself or not.

"You're correct. I have a request of you and your partner..." Mello trailed off, distracted by the way his lips still tingled in the aftermath of kissing Matt. That boy was hazardous to his work ethic in a way nothing else could ever come close to.

"I want the two of you looking into L as much as possible without getting caught. You have far more resources than I do even with my hacker, or at the least a different type of resources. If you do get stuck on something, send it here and I'll see what we can do. My hacker _is_ one of the best."

"What you are really saying, is that you want me to hack L if I get the chance and report to you anything I find out and if I get something I cant crack just hand it over to you?" Yagami sounded incredulous.

"At least we have an understanding." Mello smirked.

"No we don't and the only reason I'm even entertaining working with you is-"

"Because no one else inside the law will listen to you." Mello finished for him, his smirk gone. Yagami was silent though Mello could almost see the man frown at him through the phone. It probably was hard for the police officer to work with him, a Mafiya boss, but Mello knew there wasn't time for petty squabbling and the like. L wouldn't wait for them to sort themselves out, and neither would anyone else.

"We are on our own Yagami, and the sooner you deal with the fact that you are helping a criminal arrest another criminal we can get things settled." Mello knew that he was a criminal, but he had never dreamed of a life in the Mafiya.

He had wanted, to a small degree, to become a detective, all those years ago. It hadn't all been about being the best and beating Near. He had loved learning, loved the challenges the classes gave him and the thought that he would bring people to justice despite having come from a criminal background. He had wanted to arrest the person who had murdered his family... but he had long since learned that there was no such thing as justice.

There was the law, bound by so much tape that it made a bondage fetishes dream look tame, and then there was outside the law, where anything could be accomplished if one had the right tools and enough luck.

L straddled both of those lines, and did it well. Had become so influential that everyone in the law took him for his word so long as there were credible facts presented, and everyone outside the law answered his beck and call because of blackmail.

He had the best of both worlds, and with Yagami's help so would Mello.

"Oh and Yagami, if you ever have the chance to work with L, take it." Mello told the brunette before hanging up. He knew he had pissed Yagami off with his attitude, but it couldn't really be helped all that much. He wasn't there to reassure Yagami that what he was doing was right, and he wasn't about to hold his tongue to make things easier. It wasn't his style and the quicker Yagami learned it, the quicker they would get along, even if only tentatively.

He tossed the phone onto the table and rolled onto his side. There was so much to do and yet Mello wasn't sure he would be able to do it anytime soon. He needed a way into L's system and he needed to find him.

Sure, they could find Wammys again, but L wasn't there, he wouldn't be stupid enough to be there as even those who didn't want to kill him for something he'd done in the name of justice wanted to find him.

He was the worlds _greatest_ detective and everyone wanted to know where he was. He probably still visited about as much as he had when they had been there, but he wouldn't stay there.

Which lead back to Mello the need to know where he was. And so far the only way to that he saw was through L's 'cooperation' with the NPA and other agencies. But even that angle was riddled with problems. L's system was no doubt going to be heavily guarded and Mello didn't know enough about Yagami's abilities to ascertain if he could pull it off, or even get into a position to do so.

There were a lot of what if's and uncertainties that made Mello want to pull his hair. Why couldn't L be one of stupid villains out of Matt's games? The ones who made horrendously stupid mistakes and got themselves caught easily?

"Because that would be too easy..." he muttered into his hands. He was closer than he had ever been, and yet farther away than ever at the same time. It was paradoxical. It was ridiculous.

And he knew he would need to take risks he never wanted to take. He was sure that Matsuda could find a way to get someone inside the building long enough to set up a few things of surveillance, or perhaps even simply get a feel of the buildings own surveillance and add a patch into the system.

And for things like that there was only one person in the world he would trust.

He sighed deeply in attempt to calm the irritation swelling inside himself as he snatched up the phone. He had only gotten in contact with Yagami not all that long ago and already the shit was hitting the fan. And what if that hadn't been the first meeting, what if the NPA were one of the last to be informed? Who was L already after, who had he already taken out of the picture and swept under the rug? Mello hated not having such important information at his immediate disposal.

Mello typed in some numbers and pressed the phone to his ear and waited two rings before the call was picked up. "Are you in a position to speak freely?" he needed to ask Matsuda some things but had to make sure the man would be able to answer.

"No mother."

Mello rose an eyebrow at the choice but figured it was better for him to say that than anything else as Mello doubted that he would be believed, with the personality he was using, if he told whomever was with him it was a girlfriend. He had to wonder though, why Yagami had been able to talk and not Matsuda, unless they were doing separate projects at the moment.

"I need to get my associate into the NPA building to survey its security systems and possibly tamper with them, can you do so?"

"You need me to pick up some milk? Alright I can do it." Matsuda answered him cheerfully and Mello grinned despite himself.

"How soon can you get it done?"

"Mom you know I'm at work now, why are you making plans for next week? I'm sorry but I need to go, you will get me into trouble if I'm caught on my phone." Mello wondered if Matsuda was in a meeting but decided it was of no importance.

"Thank you Matsuda. I will expect your call sometime soon." he hung up and despite the good news, his grin faded. He had almost hoped it couldn't be done. But it could and so he would deal with it.

"Matt!" he called as he heaved himself from his position on the bed. He wasn't sure if Matt had heard him or not, the lack of movement in the apartment meaning nothing, but he wasn't about to wait on the off chance the redhead had indeed heard him..

He spotted him laying on the couch with a game controller in his hands and a cigarette in his mouth. "Matt-"

"Just a sec." Matt muttered and Mello watched with a slight raise of an eyebrow as a blond haired character leaped across the screen and shot at men in suits. He was eerily reminded of a job, a year or so ago, that he had wanted done right and had taken upon himself to complete. Whatever Matt was playing he should have figured the character would either have red, white or blond hair.

He watched for a few more minutes before he grew tired of waiting and leaned over the couch to pluck the cigarette from Matt's lips. At the very least he would gain the redheads attention. He stared down at the burning stick in his hands and with a sudden bout of curiosity he placed it between his lips and sucked in a bit of the poisonous air.

Mello felt the sudden urge to cough but beat it down violently and wrinkled his nose at the taste that was only good on Matt's lips. "These things are fucking disgusting, I have no idea how you ever got into them- what?" he muttered the last part as he found Matt staring at him intently with an odd look.

Matt shifted a little under his scrutiny and Mello instantly translated the look, glancing downwards a moment to confirm it. Matt was aroused. Him smoking a cigarette was arousing?

Mello shook his head slightly and decided to file that information away for a later time. Instead he rolled his eyes and put the stick back in Matt's mouth. "Do I have your undivided attention now?"

Matt frowned and rolled the cigarette to the other side of his mouth and simply stared at him.

"I have a job for you." he smiled a little at the bright look of excitement Matt got out of those six words. "It's not hacking." he watched as Matt's gaze turned curious and Mello wondered how to phrase his request, how to get it past his lips at all.

"In a week or so, if Matsuda is true to his word, I want you to sneak into the NPA and manually tamper with their surveillance systems and perhaps plant a few bugs." Mello knew that he wouldn't need to explain that L would be watching the system for attacks now that he was 'working' with the NPA.

"You know I have no problem with field work." and that was Matt's way of accepting, along with the face eating grin he wore.

"Any electronics you place there can not be detectable by any normal means or those shown to us at Wammys. I don't care if you have to create something new in only a weeks time, or find someone who can, but you have to get it done."

Matt looked a bit more interested at the mention of getting to tinker around without being told to get to work or rest and Mello shook his head. Fucking geek. Though what did it say about him? He was the one getting fucked by said geek.

"You know making things isn't my area of expertise so I might not be able to make it all that small, but I'll figure something out." Matt shrugged and turned back to his game, though by his thoughtful expression it wasn't what his mind was on at the moment.

Mello looked at his lover for a few more minutes before heading back into the bedroom to nab a few sheets of paper. He needed to make plans. Just because they had a vague idea of what they would be doing didn't mean they, Matt, were ready to go in.

He wouldn't know everything until Matsuda called him again in a week but he could fill it in later. And short of mulling over what he did and didn't know about L, and the problems invading his Mafiya, he wanted to spend his time at least attempting to flesh out a strategy complete with worst case scenarios for the night Matt would go into the NPA.

Mello rummaged around one of the broken kitchen draws, the one they had to struggle with to get away from the counter and manhandle back into place, and found a pencil to work with. He sat, unnaturally dim lighting reflecting off the blank paper, and sighed.

It was going to be a long, long week.

.

.

.

Mello had just taken the food out of the oven and set it on the stove top when he smelt smoke. "I'm finished." Mello glanced at the redhead, who wore a lazy smirk, and sighed. At least the food was too hot to be eaten right away anyway.

"Alright, let's see what you are so happy about." he muttered and slid the pot holders off his hands. He saw the amusement dancing in Matt's expression and snarled. He used pot holders, so fucking what? He wasn't about to burn his hands touching a hot pan. It didn't mean he was going to be wearing frilly aprons next.

He followed Matt into the spare room that the redhead had turned into his workspace. It had been just over a week, nine days, since he had contacted Matsuda and he had yet to hear back from the man. Mello wasn't worried as things like that took time, but he would only wait another few days before he contacted Matsuda again.

Matt flicked the lights back on in the small space and Mello grimaced at the sight. He hadn't set foot in the redhead's workspace, after being warned many times to watch where he was walking and could he not bump into that highly important equipment again?, since the second day and was rather annoyed at the clutter that had taken root. Discarded and crumpled pieces of paper, food wrappers and water bottles never mind all the wires and tools. He was not going to be the one to clean it.

"I have a few things ready, mainly enhanced bugs. And though they are strung together and look kinda shitty they are better than anything on the market and otherwise."

The moment he set eyes on Matt's creations he understood why Matt had told him that. They looked like something one would find in a junkyard, and they were far from the pin sized ones he was used to working with. "It's not what's on the outside that matter, but the insides." Matt told him as he noticed his expression.

Mello rolled his eyes. "Take your shoddy workmanship and put it somewhere they wont get broken. I need you to be ready to go when he calls. You may or may not have time to gather your things."

Matt nodded to him and Mello leaned against the wall as he watched the redhead work, the muscles moving beneath the tight fabric of his shirt. His eyes instinctively latched onto the pale skin of Matt's back as the shirt rode up.

Matt had nasty scars there, just barely hinted by the touch of raw pink on his skin, from his abduction but they had healed nicely for the most part. Though Mello would never forget how bad they had looked the first few days, weeks, that Matt had them.

Matt squatted beside a small bag and placed his creations inside before righting himself and stretching languidly. "Hurry up, dinner's ready." Mello reminded him. Matt laughed and jogged from the room before Mello could hit him. He would never hit him hard, but there were times when he needed a good smack to the back of his head.

Mello had to wonder just how long it had been since Matt had eaten as he practically inhaled his food, though Mello knew it couldn't have been more than nine hours. Mello ate at a much slower pace, wanting to actually _taste_ the food, but still smiled in appreciation as Matt held out a bar of chocolate as he lit a cigarette.

With the thought of chocolate, the taste rich and smooth, filling his mind he grudgingly concentrated on finishing his food until he was satisfied he had eaten more than enough. He left the dirty plates in the sink and tore open the bar to snap a piece off.

Matt had disappeared, though from the sounds he'd gone into the main room, and Mello found him digging around inside the couch cushions to retrieve a buried game or pack of cigarettes. It was hard to say with Matt sometimes which he lost more often.

"Enjoying the view?" Matt mumbled as he straightened up, pack of cigarettes in hand and goggles slightly askew.

To be honest, Mello hadn't even been looking at his ass. "Not really." he drawled teasingly as Matt came to stand in front of him with a smirk gracing his lips. Matt might have said something along the lines of 'then I will have to give you something else to enjoy' but Mello was distracted as Matt pushed him against the couch, tongue in his mouth.

He sucked in a breath, the bitter taste of smoke crawling into his mouth, and allowed himself to be placed on the edge of the couch and Matt to slide between his parted legs. Matt's hands were at his hips holding him in place as he ground their forming erections together.

He had just slid his hand up Matt's shirt when his phone began to ring and they both groaned as he pulled away and maneuvered his way away from Matt's warm body to grab the offending piece of technology. "What?" he answered gruffly.

Though he would never admit it, he was horny and he _wanted_ sex. Matt had been tinkering around with the requested bits of technology for the last week and they had hardly seen each other outside of meals and sleep, and sometimes not ever the latter. Mello completely blamed Matt for his lack of control over his hormones. Completely.

"Mello, I'm sorry if I interrupted something but this was the only time I had to get away to speak to you." Matsuda's voice held genuine apology and he signed in irritation, his hand going through his hair. Why, of all times, had Matsuda had time to call?

"Well get on with it. I'll need time to work things out." he attempted a slightly less demanding voice though he doubted he had succeeded.

"Your partner will have to come in during the day. Security has been increased at night to an almost crazy extent. I believe L might have suggested it, and perhaps even funded it."

Mello cursed silently. During the day? That was insane...

"He'll have to be careful not to attract too much attention, but we called in maintenance for tomorrow to fix problems we've been having with leaking pipes that are causing damage to the floor below, getting files wet and so on. He just needs to look the part and sound like he knows what he's doing and he should have no problem..."

Mello grit his teeth. He didn't like the idea of Matt in there at all, and during the day was worse with the cameras and all the detectives... just the thought of Matt getting caught was as effective as a cold shower.

"What time is the company scheduled to come by?" he glanced at Matt and the redhead sighed softly, knowing that it was time for work.

Mello may not have liked the situation, but it was really the only option they had. The only thing that was of any form of comfort, was that Matt would be wearing a disguise.

He ended the call minutes later and closed his eyes. He wondered if that was some sort of warning of things to come. But he had never bowed to fate, and he would make sure that things went alright, he couldn't accept an other outcome than success with Matt's life at stake.

**_-End Warning Sign-_**

**AN:** Bwhahah so good stuff is coming up right? This chapter was originally supposed to end with Mello listening in on Matt as he did his stuff at the NPA but I didnt want a 6,000 word chapter. XD

**Also,** yesterday?, I posted a new oneshot but forgot to put the 'characters' part so it didnt show up under Matt or Mello as it usually would. Woops? Anyway it's called 'Alive' and has broken heaters, snow storms and comedy/fluff among other things if you'd like to check it out.

And I uploaded the last chapter of Slow Dance With a Stranger and updated Tales of a Klutzy Mafia Boss. I got lots done this week and it's hardly started XD

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Living in a fantasy

Gurgicalcipher

foreverunloved

ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3

schoolkid

Seith

KaiyaMinPop

Slayers64

Ashleigh131

SensiblyTainted

Beyond'sWaraNingyo

BehindHappyFaces

PWN3D

LittleMissAnthrope


	33. Chapter 29: Distraction

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note

**AN**: Yeah im late in updating again. Sue me. -_- My excuse is pure laziness and my niece and nephew were down from florida. XD

**Suggested Listening**: Stuck On Repeat **by** Little Boots**; **Tune into my Heart** by** Little Boots (for a part)**; **I'd Come for You **by** Nickelback

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**: _Distraction _

Mello looked the figure that stood before him up and down, stalking around him before he grinned appreciatively. "How the hell did you manage to get a hold of one of their uniforms so quickly?" he questioned Matt.

"Hacker." Matt told him with a cheeky grin, as though the word explained everything. Matt eventually rolled his eyes as gently pushed Mello away.

"All I had to do was make sure that for today they had an extra employee so it was easy to tell them the old one was damaged on-the-job."

Mello had wondered where the redhead had gone for approximately four hours earlier that morning, and that was the result. He had a uniform, and if Matt had gone down there in person it probably meant he had obtained a truck as well.

But the uniform wasn't the only difference to his appearance. Matt had _willingly_ gotten a wig, as he was not going to dye his hair, of a different length and color than before. It was a neatly styled black one, with a thick chunk of hair parted off to the left with a lone stringy piece that dangled just slightly into his left eye.

And gone were the customary goggles; they had been replaced with a pair of thick rimmed black glasses that Mello thought oddly suited the redhead, or in that case, raven head.

Mello checked the time and knew they needed to leave soon, despite Matt only having just gotten back, though it had been only to change into his disguise. "Do you have everything ready? Make sure you only put the ear piece in once your sure the cameras are on loop-" Mello _knew_ Matt knew all of that, but he couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth.

"Everything is ready. I'll see you later." Matt told him with a roll of his eyes and turned for the door. Mello impulsively grabbed a hold of Matt's mouth and forced him into a quick kiss that left Matt with a spark of desire in his eyes. Mello slapped his ass and pushed him towards the door.

"Get going... be safe." he mumbled, licking his lips as he crossed his arms.

Matt grinned cheshire like and Mello thought he heard a soft laugh as the door shut. He sighed and rubbed at his face. It was time to get set up; he had a few small things to collect before he could leave. Matt knew that he would be listening in, and he also knew that he would be parked only a few blocks away from the NPA in case anything should go wrong. He would not let Matt get taken again, and he was the only one who be able to get Matt out of it should there be a problem.

He had instructed Yagami and Matsuda not to interfere should Matt be detained as he needed them to stay undercover and out of L's radar. But that didn't mean that Matt was helpless, and Mello knew Matt had a few tricks up his sleeve he would use before he would get caught. Matt had said he would be extra careful so hopefully nothing would go wrong.

Mello snorted softly to himself; yes, because everything in their life had gone right so far.

He shoved his laptop into a small bag before snatching his keys off the table; he was out the door less than a minute later and on his motorbike in two. He gunned it, but made sure not to be too noticeable least he get caught by police for speeding... then again he would have to _stop _to get caught.

It was just over twenty minutes later, ten since he had gotten the text that Matt was there, that Matt's voice came through the ear piece as Mello pulled into his designated position.

"I just got the surveillance shut down. It's on the loop where I am so it won't be suspicious if someone is at the water fountain for fifteen minutes."

Mello cracked a tiny smile. Yeah, that might have posed an obvious problem. One that would have had security on alert in seconds, Matt being the only obvious addition to the routine.

"What ones are you actually going to use?" he mumbled quietly as he closed his eyes. He wanted no outward distractions to what Matt was saying. There was a loud clanking noise and a small curse.

"Fuck... didn't think it would come out that fast..." Matt grunted over the line, ignoring his previous question for the moment to fix whatever he had caused. It was almost hard to hear over the metallic clanks, but Matt's breathing had become faster which left Mello to wonder what the hell he was doing.

"Got you! Pwnt." Mello rolled his eyes at the exclamation of satisfaction from the other line.

"I got the leak under control. After dumping a lot of water. But it won't be noticeable with the amount they already had on the floor."

"You aren't supposed to actually fix it, you need to get your own stuff done!" Mello snapped into the mouthpiece.

"Calm down. If I don't look like I'm getting stuff done I will be worse off when they come to check on me, which I'm sure they will. As for your earlier question..." Matt trailed off and grunted softly as he struggled with something for a moment.

"While I will put a few of the bugs around here, I'm also downloading a backdoor into the system for myself to use in emergencies. A fair warning though, it can only be used once. It will leave a noticeable mark to someone looking for it, which L will be now."

Mello was surprised Matt would even take the risk to do something like that, but it might help them out in a jam. It would need to be the most dire of situations to use it though, if it would be noticed afterwards.

"Alright, I just finished making modifications to the video feed in other areas. I'm going to leave the earpiece in as it's hidden by my wig, but try not to talk unless you really need to; I'm leaving the room now." Matt warned him.

Mello leaned foreword, elbows on the bike handles, as he shifted on the leather seat. Matt was now in the most danger of getting caught. He wouldn't be in the designated area and that alone would be grounds for being stopped and questioned.

He listened to the sounds of the building, busy and filled with noise, as Matt passed through, or perhaps nearby the more crowded areas. Matt mumbled something along the lines of 'where the hell is it?' and went silent for a few moments.

Matt cursed and his shoes squeaked as he stopped short and quickly went in another direction. Mello sighed heavily. He had almost thought something had happened. But it seemed that Matt had simply missed a turn and had gotten off track. It wasn't impossible to do in such a large building. Still, he was more than relieved nothing else had gone wrong yet.

"I'm in conference room A where L last appeared. I have no way of knowing if he will use this room again or not, but either way we should be able to get some sort of information." Matt muttered.

Mello agreed with him. He had left it up to Matt as to where to place his little bugs, as Mello hadn't wanted to make a list of places and have Matt go out of his way and get caught in trying to help him. Matt was smart, and crafty, but Mello sometimes wondered if he was perhaps... too loyal.

"Alright, it's all set up.." Matt trailed off and Mello could almost picture him inspecting his work to make sure it wouldn't be noticed. Matt was, if nothing else, anal when it came to getting the job done right.

But Mello wanted him out of that building, having already been in there far too long for his liking. He didn't voice his concerns though, knowing it would only irritate the redhead, and Mello knew he was being overprotective...

He heard when the doors to conference room A were shut again and the soft thunks of Matt's uniform shoes made on the floor.

"Hey? What are you doing over here?" someone shouted and Mello found his heart in his throat.

"Me?" Matt's voice was calm and he didn't appear all that concerned with whatever situation was in the makes on his end.

"Yes, you sir. What are you doing over here, you are supposed to be on the second floor." the mans voice was accusatory and ready for something to happen, and as Mello readied his gun he hoped his something wouldn't be Matt.

"Oh, I'm looking for the bathrooms." Matt told the man blandly, as though he were talking to an idiot.

"The bathrooms?" the voice asked incredulously and Mello could have strangled his lover for not having come up with a better cover story.

"Yeah the bathrooms. I believe there is a blockage in one of the main pipes that feed over to the pipe that's leaking. That pipe isn't my main concern and it's already fixed but I discovered that the water flow isn't at what it's supposed to be. Bathrooms are the next logical area and I need to check it out, but when I left the room I was in there was no one nearby for me to ask help from."

Mello blinked his eyes in shock. If he hadn't known that Matt was completely bullshitting the man he was talking to he would have believed him; he actually sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Then again, pipes had never been Mello's specialty. Unless it included hitting someone with one.

There was complete silence for a moment that made Mello's stomach churn unpleasantly.

"Alright, come on. I'll show you where they are." the man said reluctantly, as though he knew he shouldn't be doing it but couldn't find anything wrong with Matt's story to bring him to a superior.

"Thanks man! I have a schedule to keep so you're a real help." Matt's tone hadn't really changed with the exception of his pitch and Mello wished he would at least try to sound thankful as it fell rather flat to the listener.

He listened with gritted teeth as Matt wheedled the man into a small conversation, and by the time they arrived at the bathrooms it sounded as though they were old friends. Mello had to wonder just what the job title of the man Matt was around actually was. Had it been someone of Yagami's or Matsuda's caliber Matt would have been fucked in a decidedly less than pleasant manner.

Mello didn't dare talk to Matt even as they entered the bathrooms. He knew any small distraction might be the one thing to tip the scale out of Matt's favor; that and it would be impossible for Matt to respond as it seemed his 'friend' had decided to watch him work. Mello held no idea of what exactly Matt was doing, but his watcher hadn't found anything odd with it yet.

"Is there another bathroom or area where lots of water would be used, the blockage isn't from here. And it might lead to a more serious problem if I can't at least identify it now."

"Um... well... there is the woman's bathroom." the man now sounded uncomfortable and Mello wondered if he would follow Matt inside it.

"Great, can you show me where it is?"

There was a soft sigh before a confirmation and he heard the bathroom door slam shut behind them as they continued on down the hall. No one else that Mello heard pass by seemed to even bother with a second glance and Mello figured it had to do with the man Matt was following.

Mello rubbed at his temples irritably. Matt was so fucking lucky...he could have been handcuffed already.

"Well here it is..."

"Thanks a lot. I won't be too long unless I find the blockage." Matt said and there was silence, other than the sounds of Matt tinkering with things, for a few minutes.

"Damn that was close. I doubt that I'll be able to get bugs into the other conference rooms, but we at least have that, the system patch and the few random bugs I placed." Matt told him and Mello knew from that tone of voice that he was craving a cigarette badly.

"I want you out of there as quick as you can. Try not to make a scene but your safety comes first, you understand?" he practically snarled into the headset. Matt sighed and Mello could imagine him nodding his head.

Mello shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Why did he have to be in love with such a pain in the ass?

He listened as Matt fiddled around inside the bathroom for a few more minutes before Matt mumbled about a crack in the pipe, though Mello had no idea what he was doing.

He wasn't actually attempting to fix it was he?

"I created a problem and fixed it, so if they actually take a look they can see that I did 'fix' it." Matt grumbled and Mello heard a rather nasty crack that he assumed was one of Matt's bones righting itself after being in whatever position for too long. Matt hadn't seemed bothered by it, though he couldn't see the gamers expression to be sure.

Mello drummed his fingers irritably on the handle of his bike; he was tense and his muscles were aching from being drawn taunt, but until Matt was out of there he wouldn't be able to relax, and possibly not even then. Not until they were _home _and the entire mess was behind them_._

The bathroom door swung open and Matt swore. It couldn't be good. "The detective from before is talking to someone and he doesn't look happy." Matt mumbled quietly, but loud enough for Mello to catch it.

"There he is." Mello recognized the voice as the man that had shown Matt to the bathrooms. Footsteps approached and he hoped Matt wouldn't do anything stupid.

"I would like to know why you didn't go back to the guard station when you needed something? You know you don't have clearance to be in these areas alone, don't you?" the man sounded smug, as though Matt was potentially something to brighten his day.

"No one said anything to me about needing clearance to do my job. And walking all the way back to the guard station would have taken up too much of my time, I have more than just this place to work on today and I'm already behind schedule because of the traffic. I was just lucky enough that he found me and was able to show me where I needed to go." Mello could picture Matt gesturing wildly to the detective that had escorted him there.

There was a pause and Mello was certain that the new addition of problems, the guard, was going to pull out his handcuffs anyway and leave Matt to be dealt with by someone else.

"Oh, Takasuki-san, there you are! I was told to find you as you left your radio back at the desk. Shift change in five minutes so you might want to get back there to punch out." a cheerful voice filtered into the scene and Mello grinned. He had told them not to get involved, and Mello couldn't know if Matsuda was there by fluke or premeditation, but he was grateful.

"Damn it really?" the man grumbled. "Alright, you come with me. I'll bring you back to your stuff and you can finish up in there and report back to the guard station only. If you are caught anywhere else I'll make sure you are arrested." the man grumbled something about not being able to do his job right if outsiders weren't told the correct information but Mello didn't pay much attention to it.

So far, it looked like Matt had dodged a bullet, probably literally.

It didn't take long before Matt was left in the room alone again, after being told to be back at the guard station within fifteen minutes, and he heard the redhead take a shaky sigh. Mello was suddenly struck with the knowledge that Matt probably had never done something like that ever, something quite that dangerous to him, not since Wammys.

He felt guilt begin to bubble within him but forced it down. There was no time for that, not with L out there and so close to finding them whether he knew it or not.

"Get your stuff and leave Matt." he muttered though from the sounds being made Matt hadn't needed to be told.

"I should be exiting the building in five minutes baring any problems." Matt muttered and left after, Mello would assume, he had turned the surveillance back onto its proper recording. Mello was fairly certain there would have been some problems had the monitors still showed Matt in the room despite him being in sight of the guards. That might have been a bit difficult to explain.

He revved the engine and listened as Matt handed in his report on the leak as well as the extra work he had to do and drove off only once Matt was back in the stolen van. Mello headed back to the apartment and parked in the garage and waited for Matt to arrive. He hadn't headed inside and instead chosen to wait for Matt to pull up. It had taken an extra half hour, as Matt had to return the 'borrowed' vehicle and make sure all records of the visit had been wiped clean from the database.

Mello breathed a sigh of relief as Matt's car pulled into view and only then did he take his helmet off and secure it to the back of the bike. The only part of the disguise that was still on the redhead were the thick glasses that were just barely visible under Matt fringe. Damn he needed a haircut, though he had never seen Matt's hair that flat, so it might have simply been a case of wig-hair.

Matt strode up to him and shoved his tongue into his mouth, startling Mello for a moment. Matt was tense, he could feel it in the kiss and see it in Matt's posture. However bad it had seemed from simply listening, it had been worse for Matt.

"Need you Mello." Matt whispered harshly before sealing their lips together again. He didn't protest when Matt undid his fly laces, despite being horribly aware of just how exposed they were in the garage, so he was surprised when Matt tugged him in the direction of the stairwell, lips never once leaving his mouth.

His vest was unzipped and Mello shivered at the fingers that brushed against his chest, across his nipples and down his sides. Goddamn Matt and how he affected him sometimes. His skin was already flushed from anticipation and Matt had only just kicked the door shut, shoes being kicked off across the floor, when Mello suddenly found himself on the couch with Matt pinning him there.

"Matt-" he warned, after he had separated their mouths long enough to breathe.

"Just let me..." Matt trailed off and tugged at Mello's boots and Mello gave up the second those cold fingers yanked at his leather trousers and tossed them over the couch. Matt ran his palm gently across Mello's ankle and down his leg and Mello sucked in a deep breath at the soft touch.

Matt was in a mood, that was for certain.

He stared into those green eyes, so clear behind the glasses, and nudged a little with his other leg showing he was fine with it, with whatever Matt needed at the moment.

He watched as Matt spit on his palm and coated his erection in the fluid and scrunched his nose at the thought of that going inside him, but didn't care enough to voice his complaint. He supposed he needed it just as bad as Matt, needed the wordless connection such an act provided.

The leg squished between Matt and the cushions of the couch was lifted to rest on Matt's shoulder, a bit uncomfortable with the way it stretched his muscles, but Mello didn't care as Matt's hand went under the knee of his other leg and forced it close to his chest as he pushed inside.

"Fuck!" he moaned and closed his eyes, simply content to feel Matt moving inside of him despite the sting the penetration provided.

Matt's breaths hit his cheek and traveled across his lips for a moment before Mello felt lips touching his jaw. He squinted his eyes and glared at the redhead silently as he redirected Matt's lips to his. He wanted those lips on his own and no where else on him. Matt slammed into his prostate and Mello shuddered into the kiss, eyelids fluttering.

Matt made a noise of surprise as Mello squeezed his lower muscles; Mello smirking in-between their kisses as Matt encouraged him to do it again with a hand sliding across his neglected erection.

It was the silent communication that Mello loved most.

The added pressure he provided drove Matt to the edge, and Mello felt him cum inside as those gloveless fingers sought to finish him off. Mello sucked in a breath and spurted against Matt's hand only a few moments later.

Matt brought his sticky fingers to Mello's cheek and cupped his face as their kisses died down into something soothing rather than passionate. They had stopped moving against one another, no longer riding out their orgasms, and Mello's legs were left to drop to Matt's waist, sore.

Mello didn't need Matt to tell him why he, they, had needed the sex; for once everything had been explained without words and Mello wondered if it would ever be that easy again.

Matt had been worried, and rightfully so, about being taken captive again and it had come so damn close to it. No matter what the redhead said about the time in those thugs possession, Mello knew it had scared him, if only a little. Knowing that he might die, might not be found in time. And in the NPA, it had been the first time since the abduction, and the start of their relationship, that they had been apart in such a situation.

But it was alright. They were both fine. And by some stroke of luck nothing had happened.

He felt Matt settle more fully onto him and adjusted a bit so that he could breathe easier and was content to lay there with the one he... loved. It was still such an odd feeling to him. But thoughts of that were pushed aside as something popped into his mind, something he probably would have asked all those years ago at Wammys had he not been distracted by grief and anger.

"You know, I don't even know your real name, even after so many years of knowing you..." Mello breathed out, still winded and definitely spent, as he laid there under the warmth Matt's body provided. He had meant to add more, to simply _ask_, but it had simply stuck in his throat until he no longer had the opportunity.

"It's Mail. Mail Jeevas. But..." Matt trailed off and let his lips roam around the soft flesh covering Mello's jugular. "It's not who I am though. I'm Matt, I'm not sure I ever really was Mail." he continued softly.

And Mello realized it was probably true for him as well, he hadn't been Mihael in so long... he was simply... Mello. That was all they had known each other as.

"I was just curious, I never asked back at Wammys despite you knowing both mine and Near's names."

Matt smiled at him and buried his face in the crook of Mello's neck, warm breaths tickling Mello's sensitive skin.

But he wouldn't ask Matt to move, he was far too comfortable for once.

**-End _Distraction_- **

**AN:** this chapter actually was alright to write (which probably means it sucks to read -_-)

Ok, shameless promotion of a fic I CANNOT post here.

Why you ask?

Well first off I'll tell you it was a bit*h to write as I was UNCOMFORTABLE writing it, but I was challenged to write it and I generally wont back down unless I think I cant do it.

It's a necro MM fic. Yeah…. -_-;

Here is link, just take out the spaces:

http: / anime . adultfanfiction . net/ story . php?no = 600050949

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Beyond'sWaraNingyo

Slayers64

Ashleigh131

ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3

ThornLeaf

Living in a fantasy

PWN3D

schoolkid

Gurgicalcipher

Review?


	34. Interlude: Part Four

**Disclaimer: **see previous

**AN: **interlude with Matt!

**Suggested Listening**: Alive with the glory of love **by **Say Anything

**Interlude**: _Alive With..._

It had been two days since he had placed the bugs in the NPA and they had yet to be found even though there had been initial suspicions after he'd left the building. But Matt was hardly worried; they would never be able to find them unless they knew what they were looking for.

So unless L or someone else tore apart the building it was doubtful anything would be found, including the patch and backdoor he had on the system.

Matt paused his game of Internet chess with Near and smirked as he recognized the song going through his headphones. He edited his previous thoughts and sent _'Ill be right back Near, take your time'_ to Near instead.

It wasn't that he really had to share anything with Mello, but it was a nagging thought in his brain and well, it might prove interesting. Not that Mello wasn't interesting all on his own.

He paused the music and wandered off into the kitchen where he knew Mello would be as he hadn't gotten up all that long before. Mello was leaned against the tiny kitchen counter, occasionally sipping his coffee with a newspaper in hand; he was probably combing it for anything pertaining to L.

"When I watch you..." Matt sang loudly and trailed off as he'd garnered the blond's attention, Mello having looked up from his coffee. Matt grinned as he strolled over to him and pressed his lips to Mello's cheek, enjoying the slight heat that sprung to the surface and whispered in his ear.

"Wanna do you, right where you're standing, yeah." he felt Mello shiver slightly and was pleased that he'd caused a Mafiya boss to do that. Though he supposed it had more to do with the fact he had known him for years.

He slid his hand along Mello's sides and pressed him against the counter to kiss him. Matt prodded the soft lips with his tongue, seeking entrance, and was happy when it was granted. Mello sighed into the kiss and leaned into him, draping his arms across his shoulder; in the process the paper dropped to floor.

The kiss was slow, but not lacking in passion. The room began to heat up nicely and just as Matt felt the familiar pull start at his neither regions he slowed the kiss even further and broke it off.

Mello panted against his lips and his eyes were dark with lust. "What the hell brought that on? Not that you've ever needed a reason." Mello asked, though his reactions told Matt that the blond hadn't minded in the least. He had a feeling that Mello didn't mind when he got his way half the time despite complaints about not getting his work done.

"I was just listening to a song and it reminded me of you." he laughed at the incredulous look Mello gained as understanding dawned on him that he'd been speaking lyrics.

"What the hell kind of music are you listening to? No wonder you're horny all the damn time." Mello grumbled but didn't move to push him away; they had been rather clingy the last few days. Not that Matt minded.

"It's not the music that makes me horny." he told Mello with a wicked grin. Mello rolled his eyes but opened his mouth eagerly when kissed. Matt had honestly never expected that Mello would ever love him back, and he always had a feeling in the back of his mind that nagged at him, that told him it wouldn't last.

He knew he had been lucky to get where he was, Mello breathing heavily against him, and he hoped his luck held out for many more years. They both could use something good staying in their lives. But whatever would happen, he was glad he had Mello with him, if only for that moment.

_-End Interlude 4-_

Review replies:

SensiblyTainted: you will just have to wait and see *grin* and Matt isn't really injured at this point and Mello will top soon especially as there are only a few chapters left XD

dramaq: thanks for the advice but it just doesn't feel right to me when I see it on the screen. And in all the books I've read *and I read lots _* I've never seen it done… maybe in a future work ill try it but ET is actually already written so I probably wont change it. XD

**Special thanks to reviewers**: dramaq, foreverunloved, Slayers64, SensiblyTainted, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child


	35. Chapter 30: Heat

**Disclaimer: **See previous

**AN**: yeah… I haven't updated in a while. But in my defense I was kinda depressed and irritated as I accidently deleted an entire folder of music I've amassed over 2010. So I've been downloading like a crazy mf trying to get it all back w/o going too badly broke XD

**Suggested Listening**: Waking Up **by** Richy Nix; Mr. Romeo (without snoop dog) **by** Emii

**Chapter Thirty**: _Heat _

Mello frowned as he put the phone down on the table and resisted the urge to toss it across the room. The update on the Mafiya had not gone as well as he had hoped. Yes, the men had finally been informed about L, and yes, they had taken things rather better than expected, but there was still the matter of the Fedorov brothers. Nothing had been done on that front other than a partial plan and rather obscure behavioral observations.

Mello knew Yuriy was simply taking his time as it was a very delicate matter but it almost felt as though there was something more to it, as though Yuriy really wouldn't go through with killing them because of the risks to the Mafiya. Mello would have to get rid of Yuriy if that were the case, no matter how much that thought bothered him.

Mello shook off any more thoughts of murder. He'd give Yuriy more time to plan, but only a little more. He couldn't afford to loose territory to those idiot brothers.

"More bad news?" Matt muttered and Mello was surprised to find that he had forgotten the redhead was on the couch in front of him, laptop settled on his legs and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Mello sighed. "If Yuriy waits too much longer to finish the hit on the Fedorov brothers then I'm going to have to... replace him."

Matt actually looked up at him at the hesitance and Mello had no doubt Matt understood that any replacement would be permanent. As if he didn't have enough problems with L already…

In the eight days since Matt had been in the NPA headquarters L had taken on the Triad and won and had moved onto Italy. It did seem that he was attempting to eradicate every group of organized crime for one country at a time. Even L had to know that economies, despite how much they denied, would take a dip if all the crime syndicates were pulled out from under them at once.

Though Mello had looked into it to see if a pattern might be forming, but from only two targets it was hard to tell and there was no indication as to who L might go after once he was done with his current 'project'.

There had been no more contact with the NPA as of yet but Mello knew it was only a matter of time. He figured that when L made his move on Japan that there would be contact, perhaps even sooner. But so far the only problem Mello could actually deal with seemed to be his Mafiya.

"Matt, I know you're playing chess with Near again, ask him if he could get Yuriy to speed things up." Mello muttered into his chocolate. Things always had to be so damn complicated...

"What makes you think Near will have any sway in all this?" Matt asked, though by his typing he had already begun to ask Near.

"Yuriy, for whatever reason, seems to have developed a soft spot for Near. He might actually listen to the fluff ball."

Matt snorted at one of Near's nicknames. Mello hardly called Near by them anymore, but every once and a while one would slip through; though Mello only held fondness for the younger boy.

Mello had wondered, as of late, if Near didn't know about the older mans affection for him, but the knowledge that Near might know was just as strange. The entire situation was... _strange_.

But that didn't mean Mello wouldn't use it for his own benefit. If Near was able to give Yuriy the final push than he would make sure Near was always informed of his dealings and that he would be used if trouble arose.

It was not a respectable thing to do but Mello didn't have time for niceties like that, even if Near was involved. He had already placed Matt in danger so Near was not exempt.

"Near says he'll bring it up when he calls him tonight." Matt commented, with what Mello thought was amusement.

He leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment; it was rather interesting that Near kept in such close contact with Yuriy. He had never figured the albino would be interested enough, then again, Near might simply view the elder as a source of information. It was hard to read Near at times.

In the end, Mello mused, it didn't really matter all that much so long as Near stayed safe inside the apartment. Mello withheld a sigh and wondered absently if his life would have been any less difficult had Matt not found out the ugly truth behind Wammys. Mello wondered if he would have even cared after all the brainwashing, had he discovered the truth later on rather than Matt.

He didn't like the answer.

"Mello?" Matt asked, between mouse clicks, sometime later. Mello made a noise of acknowledgment, one that he knew Matt would take as a sign to continue.

"Are we doing the right thing?"

Mello froze at those softly spoken words before answering hesitantly. "Of course." he was certain of his response and yet he had the distinct and nagging feeling that he had answered wrong; that Matt hadn't been asking the obvious question. Matt sighed softly and returned to his game with Near.

It bothered Mello and he tossed possibilities around his mind for a few moments before he grit his teeth and shoved the thoughts away.

He would not let himself dwell on it as there was no room for doubt in what they were doing and they were already too far, up to the necks, into it to ever get out without dying or winning; at least Mello believed it to be so.

There could be nothing else for them until L was gone and out of the picture. Sure, they could pack up and leave Japan, take Near with them, and go somewhere remote to live out their lives. But Mello knew he wouldn't be satisfied with that; and even if he could have been, there was no guarantee that L wouldn't find them and finish the job he'd started. Even if he was wrong... there was no way to stop.

.

.

"Mello, wake up."

Mello instinctively curled into the warmth of the blankets and ignored the voice in his ear. There was a soft sigh, almost amused sounding, before something cool slid its way across Mello's stomach that made him twitch in his semi-asleep state.

He mumbled incoherently and squirmed away from the coldness only to have said coldness creep down into the front of his boxers. His eyes snapped open and he registered the soft breathless laughter from beside his ear. Mello sighed heavily as he attempted to push Matt's hand away from his penis.

"What do you want Matt?" he groaned and simply gave up protesting as Matt only tightened his strokes on the hardening organ.

"I've been trying to wake you up for the last fifteen minutes. I thought that you might want to know when L's laptop reappeared at the NPA." Matt told Mello while his hand continued in its task.

Mello heard the words from Matt's mouth, and yet his sleep fogged mind couldn't comprehend anything above the sinful feeling of flesh sliding across his erection. He turned onto his side, surprising Matt who he came face to face with, and rocked his hips against Matt.

"Fuck, I think I should wake you up like this more often." Matt laughed and Mello felt as Matt's free arm went under his neck to pull him closer and almost cradle him against the redheads body; he didn't particularly care what Matt did at that moment.

Mello arched his back, shuddering, as his semen splashed across Matt's fingers. Mello rested his head on Matt's shoulder and closed his eyes as he fought to control his breathing and the pounding in his chest. He concentrated on the warm fingers that ran circles across his scarred flesh and hesitantly relaxed for a few long minutes before his mind caught up with the knowledge that had been given to him.

He propped himself up on one arm and stared anxiously at his redhead who smiled faintly at him. "You said L was at the NPA?"

"His laptop at any rate." Matt muttered.

"How long ago was this?" Mello pried himself completely away from Matt and crawled from the bed, but not before he tugged his boxers back in place, Matt's hands having pushed them down in pleasuring him.

"Almost thirty minutes ago now."

"Fucking hell. Goddamn it Matt!" he swore and marched from the room, completely uncaring as to the coolness of the apartment. Mello ignored the squeak of the bed as Matt presumably hurried after him.

Finally, after a month of waiting, L had shown up at the NPA and he had been _asleep_.

"I recorded everything obviously. And there was nothing groundbreaking really, mainly he wanted any information on the Yakuza that he might not have as well as what they had done to increase security. He apparently had requested all of the agencies he worked with to fix their systems, how they operate etc; though you already knew he supplied them with things to do that..." Matt trailed off and Mello felt him stand next to him as he placed the headphones on, though he didn't comment on it.

He reviewed the audio, nearly forty minutes old, and narrowed his eyes at the end as L's electronic drone asked 'Yagami Light' to please follow Watari so they may speak privately. The entire room was simply buzzing afterwards, they hadn't even waited until the two men, and laptop, had vacated the room.

L had to know, or at least suspect that the room was bugged. That, or whatever was being said really wasn't meant for the ears of the others; could L really be thinking of-

Mello's thoughts were disrupted by the soft touch of cool fingers on his arm. He turned his gaze to the redhead who stood awkwardly beside him and Mello sighed. "I'm not angry at you." Matt's gaze turned dubious and Mello had to admit that his voice sounded frustrated.

"Really I'm not. I'm simply going over the possibilities."

"You can think all you want, but until Yagami calls you won't know anything. They all left the room afterwards." Matt pointed to the screen which had turned to current audio of a completely silent room.

Mello almost felt anger at Matt for staying and listening to the entire conversation without waking him, but he knew it had been for the best. Matt was smart enough to know what was important; and there really hadn't been anything of value besides from Yagami being pulled aside.

He took a deep breath and forced away the childish urge to shrug off Matt's touch. It really wasn't Matt's fault. Matt had tried to wake him, though he hadn't succeeded until too late.

"Mello go put some clothes on, you're shivering."

Mello frowned at the tone of voice and it took him a minute to actually feel what Matt had already noticed. He felt a chill rise up his spin to the base of his neck and his body spasmed against his wishes. Cold ran across his body like a wave and created mounds of goose flesh in its wake. It was as thought thinking about being cold had made it true.

He huffed at the expectant look Matt wore and stood without another word. He may not have been angry, well not completely, with Matt but the redhead was on thin ice and nagging him was not in Matt's best interest.

Mello frowned as he eyed his wardrobe and numbly picked out his customary leather. He highly doubted he would be all that much warmer in it but it was better than nothing; curling back up under the blankets had never seemed so inviting,

"You're going to need your jacket if you wear that." Matt's soft voice startled him, though he didn't show it; he hadn't even heard the gamer walk into the room. In any other situation errors like that could get him killed.

"I don't have any other choice Matt." he muttered and moved to drop his boxers as they didn't fit under the leather but stopped as Matt dropped his hands to his hips and kept the fabric in place.

"You don't have to wear your own clothes. I do wear things like sweatpants occasionally you know." Matt's breath tickled Mello's ear as soft lips brushed against his neck.

"Yeah, and pink shirts."

Matt outright laughed and smacked Mello on the butt as he moved away and into the closet where he had stored his things. Mello stood there, grudgingly crossing his arms as he shivered again, and watched Matt ruffle through his things.

The jeans Matt wore were loose on him and without the belt probably would have fallen down further than they were; his shirt rode up as his arms moved and exposed a patch of creamy skin. It wasn't the air that had him hardening and Mello felt as thought he had just as much control over his anatomy as if it _had_ been the temperature.

"Here." Matt stood and presented him with a pair of black sweatpants, Mello decided not to comment on the green and white mushroom on the left pant leg, and a-

"No." he narrowed his eyes at the innocent look on Matt's face. Mello snorted, innocent, right.

"It's the only thing that might fit you. No one will see." Matt smiled at him, a smile so wide it must have hurt, and despite the knowledge that he was being manipulated by his lover Mello grabbed the previously mentioned pink and black striped shirt. He should have known that Matt would have searched through his things for it.

Mello slid the black sweatpants over his legs and felt the chill leave him slightly as the thick fabric clung to him like a blanket might. He had the long-sleeved shirt halfway on before a thought occurred to him. "I thought you had thrown this out?"

Matt stared at him for a few seconds as he seemed to think it over. "I got involved with something at the time and forgot about it. I honestly thought I had left it at the apartment." the way Matt had said 'involved' shot off warning bells in Mello's mind, though from the tone of Matt's voice it wasn't a subject he wanted to talk about.

Mello could probably get the redhead to talk about it, if he badgered him into it and brought up the audio he had just missed, but decided that it wasn't worth the possible fight that might ensue. "Tell me about it sometime?" he compromised.

Matt looked visibly relieved and though it made him curious; Mello wouldn't pursue it until Matt was ready. Whatever it was, Mello had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. Mello's stomach chose that moment to let loose a furious growl.

"Let's go see what there is to make lunch..." he muttered. His body seemed to be the one constant thing to betray him. Mello supposed he could ignore it, but short of sitting around and potentially driving himself crazy over L there was nothing else to do. That, and he was due for something to eat.

Mello had stayed up late the night before reviewing everything they had collected data wise; But there had been nothing new. He also hadn't eaten anything since their early dinner.

"I'll help." Matt told him in a tone that suggested his version of help would merely be gathering the ingredients and then molesting him as Mello attempted not to burn their food.

"Fine. Get the stir fry things out then." Mello didn't need to elaborate that he would be getting the pans ready. Mello really wasn't in the mood for stir fry, but he wasn't about to have the vegetables go bad because he had been too busy to cook the last two days.

That, and he wanted Matt to eat something somewhat healthy.

He readied the oil to temperature as he watched Matt diligently cut the peppers and onions to specification despite not being asked to. Mello resisted the urge to kiss him as he knew the cooking would never get done and instead pulled the beef strips from the refrigerator and emptied them into the skillet.

They cooked in silence for the most part, excluding the moment when Matt had slipped his hand down the front of Mello's sweatpants, and despite almost burning the food everything had come out well.

Mello glared at Matt, who sat smirking at him as he took a bite of his food, and shifted his position in the chair until he was more comfortable. Matt caused him so many _problems_...

He calmly ate his food and ignored Matt and his smirking, he wouldn't rise to the bait. It wasn't all bad though and he knew it but sometimes he really did want to hit him... love or not, Matt was a pain in the ass.

"Thanks for lunch. I'll do the dishes." Matt told him, his smirk having faded into a smile. Mello sighed around his last few bites of food. Matt knew how to get out of trouble with him, that much was certain.

"I'm going to take a shower then." he told the redhead and simply left the dish where it was. The quicker he was done with the shower the less likely it would be that Matt joined him. He didn't bother with locking the door as Matt could pick it if he really wanted in.

He grabbed a towel as well as a clean pair of boxers and closed the bathroom door, turning the water on and letting it heat up. He stripped his clothing, leaving the t-shirt and pants for reuse, and left them to sit on the sink.

Mello sighed pleasantly as the warm water touched his still chilled skin and simply stood under the spray for long a moment simply letting the cold be removed from his bones. He hung his head and only opened his eyes as the thick water logged strands tickled his nose and hung loosely over his lips.

His hair was so dark that it appeared brown. It amused him, for a moment, to picture himself with any color other than blond. Sure he had seen himself in the mirror with the wig, but it hadn't been_ his _hair.

Mello breathed in deeply and straightened himself as he grabbed the soap; his fingers had just curled around the slippers bad when he heard the faint squeak of the door opening. He left his hand hovering over the bar as he waited to see what Matt wanted.

His eye twitched in annoyance as Matt seemed hell bent on taking his time undressing to the point Mello almost yelled at him to strip and get his ass in there. He tapped a soft beat on the waxy soap and stiffened as the redhead joined him.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me alone." he said with a shake of his head and felt as Matt's lips curled into a smile as they kissed along the back of Mello's neck. Honestly, what the fuck was it with Matt's obsession with his neck?

He rose an eyebrow as Matt stole the soap from under his hand, but he didn't attempt to get it back. He flinched slightly as a soapy hand crept along his tailbone to touch his stomach, all the while rubbing the soap on him.

Mello somehow doubted Matt's intentions were all that innocent despite the redhead staying away from his genitals. He shivered as Matt bent down to lather up his legs, thighs twitching at the familiar feel of those hands.

Matt continued on with cleaning the both of them and Mello simply allowed it as he didn't know what to make of it. However once they were both cleaned... Matt spun him around and only the hand at the back of his head saved Mello from a concussion as he was slammed against the slippery tile.

"Matt.." he moaned as the redhead gripped his hair harshly and pressed their mouths together, teeth knocking together in the haste. He had known Matt wouldn't be able to keep to himself. Mello had expected it... and had made no move to dissuade him. He was certain he was becoming as bad as the redhead; he wrapped his arms around the gamer and pulled him closer, opening his mouth wider to the other.

Despite the heat, the closeness and the feel of the shower making their skin slick as they touched, nothing more came of it than a heated make out session. Not that Mello would complain.

The kissing had dwindled until there was only one, a soft one planted at Mello's tingling lips. Matt's wet hair was flattened against his goggles and the hand in Mello's hair detangled itself and slid down his cheek before going to rest beside its owner's thigh.

"If only you could behave this well normally." Mello commented with a smile; and though he couldn't see Matt's eyes very well he knew they were rolling. Matt grinned widely at him and backed out of the shower, leaving Mello to stand alone under the cooling spray. Without Matt's body heat the water didn't feel nearly as warm.

Mello glanced at his hands and wrinkled his nose at the prunish appearance of his fingers and quickly shut the water off. He had been in there long enough, longer than planned.

Matt had begun to dry himself and Mello couldn't help but admire the naked body before him with its light dusting of freckles on the thighs and shoulders, or the creamy skin that always felt finer than silk under his finger tips.

Mello shook his head and took hold of his towel and let his mind drift to simple things as he rid his body of the now freezing water. He heard the catch of a lighter and smelt the smoke long before he looked up to see Matt lent against the counter, fully dressed minus socks, with a cigarette hanging from his lips.

Matt glanced at him and raised an eyebrow at his nakedness. Mello flipped him off and snatched his boxers off the sink as Matt laughed at him. Why did he put up with Matt again? Oh yes, something about love...

"Feel better Mello?" the redhead asked; his hair stuck up at odd angles and was still that oddly dark color opposed to the vibrant red it normally was.

"Yeah." he gave Matt a small smile though he wondered just how Matt had known how uncomfortable he had been earlier. Sure, he had gotten warm, but he hadn't _felt_ good since the chills had started.

The shower had done wonders for him though; he was so much warmer and felt refreshed in not only body but mind too. He contemplated seeing if the heat would turn up any further in the apartment, as it was slightly broken, as they left the bathroom. He supposed he could always bring the blanket out into the living room depending on what, if anything at the moment, needed to be done.

He felt like getting a drink first though. Coffee and a chocolate bar...

"Hey Mello, when you get done in the kitchen you should come in here." Matt said to him as he disappeared behind the screen of his computer.

"Why?" he called back, not that he hadn't been planning on doing so to begin with.

"Because Yagami e-mailed me."

**_-End Heat-_**

**AN**: So yeah, I ended it there. Kinda a cliffy right? I will probably update rather quickly now, if I stop being such a lazy ass *mainly as I'm sick of seeing this fics folder on my flashdrive* XD

There are only 6 chapters left, you have been warned.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Flacks, ThornLeaf, Ashleigh131, ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3, somebodykillme, Slayers64, SensiblyTainted, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Diamone

Review?


	36. Chapter 31: Person

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note.

**AN**: This chapter is a BEAST! It killed my hands... but you'll love it, i'm sure. I'll just go die quietly in a corner while you read...

Also, I edited this in one go so if I missed anything please don't yell XD

**Suggested Listening**: A Sorta Fairytale **by** Tori Amos (extended version)

Turn the Page **by** Metalica

Only Human **by **Morgan Page

**Chapter Thirty-One**: _Person_

Mello sat on the couch, blanket covering his lap, with his coffee and chocolate on the table as he dialed Yagami's phone. He was far from happy about having to call; he could just somehow feel it wasn't going to be good news.

It was never good news...

"Just one second – no mother it is not my girlfriend-" Yagami trailed off, obviously having placed a hand over the speaker; and while Mello felt a flicker of amusement for the situation, he couldn't help the annoyance that bubbled to the surface. Yagami should have been ready for him to call and certainly not in a place where he couldn't speak freely.

"My mother insisted I come home and I was not in a place to decline. I am outside right now." Yagami told him, exasperation clear in his voice though Mello knew better than to think it was directed at him.

"What did you have me call for?" Mello drawled and reached with his free hand for the abandoned coffee which was still hot despite the chill in the air.

"L called an assembly nearly four hours ago and at the end had Watari pull me into another room to speak to him." Mello stayed silent an appropriate amount of time in which to be surprised, despite the fact he wasn't. Yagami didn't know that his partner, or whatever Matsuda was to him, was actually taking orders from Mello, so he wouldn't have known about the bugs Matt planted.

"What did the secretive fucker want?"

"To meet me."

Mello froze at those words. To meet him? Did L actually...

"L was there in person?" Mello hissed and nearly dropped the coffee. Matt looked up from his laptop sharply, his full attention on the conversation.

"Yes. Though I'm not sure if I should trust that it is L. Anyone can say they are L, even if they are accompanied by Watari." Yagami muttered, clearly suspicious of the entire thing.

"What did he look like?" Mello demanded. Despite hating the man, despising the very earth that he walked on, Mello would _never_ forget his face.

"He was rather.. rumpled in appearance. He had messy black hair and almost owlish eyes; I doubt that man can even stand up straight with how horrid his posture is. I have no doubt from the way he talked that he is at genius level, but that doesn't make him L. I can hardly believe that someone looking like that-"

"That was L." he nearly whispered though Yagami had caught it.

"How can you be sure?" Yagami sounded curious.

"I've seen him before and before you even think about it don't ask me how I met him as it doesn't matter. What did L want with you?" he took a gulp of the coffee and was satisfied when it nearly burnt his tongue.

"He wanted me to work with him, separate from the NPA. I told him I would think about it. L wants to meet with me again in two days." Yagami said the last part as though he were expecting an outraged shout from him.

And while Mello wanted to be annoyed, furious even, he knew he couldn't. Yagami couldn't seem too eager or it would make L suspicious of him, especially with Yagami's background and training.

"That was the right thing to do. L won't be fooled easily and being too eager will paint a target on you since you aren't the type for it. If you slip up even once L will see it and then its game over." Mello stated and flickered his gaze over to Matt who looked amused at the reference.

"L will probably keep you close after you confirm your interest to work with him and if you cannot contact me directly give the information to Matsuda; it wont be hard for me to get his number to contact him." and it would be much easier not to have to watch what was said either.

"Fine. Is that all?" Yagami asked and sounded just a little rushed. Mello supposed it had to do with being outside all that time and then having to avoid questions from his family. Mello didn't have that issue.

"For now. We'll talk again in a few days." he muttered and ended the call.

"So L actually exposed himself... he must think that Yagami is something of value to do that. Maybe he would have been the one to bring you in if he hadn't figured out something was wrong." Matt brought the laptop over with him and sat on the couch, stretching his legs across Mello's lap with an impish grin.

Mello thought of shoving Matt's legs off of him but pulled them under the blankets instead to which Matt smiled his thanks.

"You are forgetting that the reason L has shown interest in him may be _because_ of Yagami figuring out something was wrong. He dug up information that shouldn't have been out there, like you did. And we know how that ended up."

Matt quickly dropped his gaze and Mello wondered if he perhaps shouldn't have said it that way. He was the last person that would blame Matt. It was L's fault and no one else's. Matt began typing and Mello knew that he had lost the window in which to explain that to Matt. It had grown silent and his coffee grown cool.

Mello could feel the cold creeping back into his bones and sighed as he rubbed at his eyes. It was going to be the longest two days of his life thus far.

.

.

Mello leaned against the counter as he watched Matt play in the main room. Things had been _quiet_ between them for the last two days. And Mello had an inclining it was entirely his fault because of the comment; that or he had fucked up in some other way. Though the latter was less likely.

It didn't seem as though Matt were angry with him, more like Matt was sulking or over thinking something and Mello wasn't sure whether or not he should interfere. He didn't like the silence that had descended between them but he didn't exactly relish the idea of a shouting match should he bring it up either.

The only thing he was certain of however was that it could not continue on like it had been. It was the day he would need to contact Yagami or Matsuda and he'd rather not be distracted by Matt during that conversation.

Mello sighed.

It was time to suck it up and simply ask what the problem was. He had already danced around the action for the last two days and he simply couldn't afford to anymore. Mello moved from his spot across the room and calmly sat down beside the redhead who stiffened slightly. Matt stayed silent for a while before he began to fidget and eventually lit a cigarette.

"What's up Mello?" he finally asked, character hesitating before sniping a zombie in the head.

Mello cocked his head to the side and looked at Matt; he couldn't see the color of Matt's eyes, even from that close but he could see that they flickered back and forth from him and the screen every few seconds.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You have been awfully quiet since I called Yagami the other day." he commented lightly.

Matt froze, his character getting slaughtered and ripped apart by the creatures on screen. Game Over. "I've just been... thinking... it's nothing important."

"Bullshit." Mello snarled and watched as Matt took a long drag of his calming drug. Mello ripped it out of the gamers' hands and pinched off the end. He had Matt's full attention after that.

"Fine... I've just always wondered..." Matt trailed off and looked longingly at his snuffed out cancer stick and Mello held it further away. He was not about to give Matt something to calm himself, whatever he was hiding needed to be said.

"Do you... resent me, even a little, for telling you about L? Everything bad has happened to you if because of it... and I-"

Mello couldn't control himself; he reached over and wacked Matt upside the head with his hand. "You are a fucking idiot." he snapped. "Of course I don't resent you... what the hell ever gave you that idea?" how long had that been bothering Matt, days or maybe months? What had given him that idea? Something he'd said...?

Mello winced as he thought back to their last actual conversation, but that had only been two days ago and it seemed like Matt had been holding that question in for far longer.

Matt's shoulders had slumped but not in a distressed manor and he actually looked visibly calmer.

"How long?" Mello asked, pulling Matt towards him until he could watch Matt's eyes from behind the goggles. They shifted uncertainly but held his gaze.

"Since you were in the hospital for your burns." Matt mumbled quietly.

Mello gaped at him. That long? "How the fuck were you ever at first? You should know me better than that. Honestly... for Gods sake Matt..." he sighed and pulled Matt into his lap the second he tried to move away.

Mello wrapped his arms around Matt and kissed his ear. The redhead should have talked to him about that a long, long time ago. Though Mello did wonder if he ever really gave Matt the chance... between being injured and running the Mafiya and pushing him and Near away...

Matt relaxed in his arms and despite the creepy groans and gunshots from the Game Over screen Mello would have said it was almost relaxing. Matt's breathing evened out and the only thing that let Mellon know the redhead was awake was the odd pattern he was tracing onto Mello's skin; the gamers' fingers having gone up his shirt to touch his scarred back.

Mello couldn't quite feel what was being 'written' in certain parts, the nerves in those areas having been too badly damaged, but he could feel when those absent minded patters turned into something else. Matt shifted, his knees going to either side of Mello's hips and both his hands went under the shirt Mello wore; again one of Matt's striped creations.

If Mello didn't know better he would have guessed Matt was bi-polar but having known him for so long he understood that once Matt had resolved something it was done and over with and he wouldn't dwell on it anymore. He had never liked to be troubled more than he needed to be. Mello groaned at the lips that sucked at his pulse; Matt's wet tongue running across the flesh of his neck.

Matt leaned against him and made Mello topple backwards onto the floor. He hissed as Matt's erection rubbed against his hip and felt his sex start to stir in response. Heat pooled in his belly and he felt Matt's breathless laugh against his skin.

He ran his gloved fingers down Matt's spine until he reached the hem of his shirt and slipped them under. Mello couldn't feel anything more than the heat of Matt's body with the gloves on but his memory still sent the sensations of that smooth skin to his brain.

Mello wasn't sure what Matt had in mind as he didn't seem to be making it more than a grinding session so when Matt pulled back and sat on his hips breathless and definitely aroused Mello was a little confused.

"Fuck, should have started this sooner. It's almost time for you to call Yagami." Matt's cheeks were flushed, eyes hidden by his hair again, and his arms hung by his sides as he straddled Mello. He might have thought it was sexy but Matt's comment had caught him off guard.

"What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart, and stared at Matt's slightly guilty expression. It was still a day or so early for him to contact Yagami.

"Yagami e-mailed me saying he was going to meet his 'friend' and that you should call him at five pm and that if he doesn't answer after two rings to call him tomorrow."

"And you didn't think to tell me earlier?" Mello snapped.

"I knew you would only worry over it until the time came to call him. It was better for you not to know until it was almost time..." Matt trailed off. Mello softened his expression and shook his head. Matt really pissed him off at times but he couldn't be annoyed with him when he was right.

"Alright fine. But get off me so can I stand up." Matt rubbed a thumb across Mello's stomach for a moment before he complied. Why did Matt have to be so damn horny all the time? He took the offered hand and was pulled to his feet.

"I'll go make some coffee." Matt called over his shoulder as he walked awkwardly out of the room. He was probably going to fix his 'problem' while he was at it. Mello almost laughed at the thought but as he was in a similar fix it didn't seem appropriate. However unlike Matt, he didn't have time to bother with his problem.

Matt had a warped sense of 'soon' as it was just after five by almost two minutes. Mello flopped onto the couch, back against the armrest, as the phone dialed. One ring. Two rings. He pulled it away from his ear and just as he started to press cancel he heard Yagami's voice loudly answer.

"Excuse me, I had left my phone out of reach." Yagami sounded out of breath, as though he'd had to dash to his phone, and perhaps he had. Mello let his teeth show in an almost feral grin but refrained from commenting on the matter.

"So how did the meeting with your 'friend' go?" he questioned. If he didn't he knew Yagami would probably skirt around the issue for a few more seconds than necessary. And sadly his brain had thought of a few good things he could do with the extra seconds like-

"Oh it was good after not seeing him for such a long time. Actually how about we go somewhere to get coffee and I'll tell you about it?"

Mello frowned. Yagami was not one to play games, so that meant he believed his phone was bugged or that he was being watched, possible his home. His frown deepened. There was a large chance that if he went to meet with Yagami the person, if there was one, that was set to tail him would see and even possibly follow him and Matt back to where they were staying. The worst part would be if their descriptions got back to L. He tapped his fingers against his thigh and sat in silence for a minute.

"Sorry I was checking my schedule, I don't have anything planned for the rest of the evening. Say quarter-till-seven at our usual spot?" Mello asked in what he hoped wasn't an annoyed voice. He spotted as Matt walked out of the bathroom and rolled his eyes; could the redhead have been more obvious he had been jerking off?

"That will be fine, I'll see you there?" Yagami questioned casually. Anyone listening would believe it were a normal conversation. Anyone besides L.

"Yeah." he ended the call and swore. "Matt, forget the coffee we have to get ready to leave!" he shouted and heaved himself off the couch, his erection gone.

"Where are we going?" only Matt's head was visible as he leaned out of the kitchen.

"To meet Yagami. He needs to tell me something but L might be having him watched." Mello watched as understanding flickered across Matt's face.

"So I should bring my gun?" the redhead questioned, having fully entered the room. Mello nodded and yanked the long-sleeved shirt from his body and let the sweatpants drop from his form as well and left them in a pile on the couch. He couldn't exactly go into public looking like that.

He heard Matt's sigh as he walked out of view but didn't spare it another thought, there was no time for sex no matter what had almost transpired pre-phone call. Matt walked into the bedroom just as he had finished lacing up his fly. "Are you ready?" he questioned the redhead.

Matt nodded to him and the second Mello's gun was stuffed into his leather and his jacket tugged on they had left the apartment. He bypassed his motorbike and instead climbed into the backseat of Matt's car.

"We picking him up?" came the question as Matt seated himself and drove out of the garage.

"I wouldn't be sitting back here if we weren't. The plates cant be traced back to us can they?" he asked as an afterthought. Matt scoffed at him as he lit a cigarette and turned the radio to some Japanese rock station.

"What do you think I am, some sort of amateur? Honestly..." Matt bristled and Mello thought it was almost amusing had he not been so completely serious with the question. "No they can't be and stop scowling like that, you're going to get frown lines."

Matt's comment only made him frown more and he had not succeeded in not doing so even as they arrived in the designated area. "Yagami is punctual to a fault, wait until exactly quarter of before you drive over there. Make sure you're slow enough for him to notice you, it would cause too much unwanted attention if we have to drive by again." Matt grunted at him and muttered along to the ear splitting music as the cars engine hummed gently in the background.

The minutes ticked by almost as fast as the chocolate Mello devoured. He noted how Matt glanced at him, taking in his form from the rear-view-mirror, but didn't make eye contact with him. Matt knew he was stress eating but there was nothing either of them could do about it. It wouldn't kill him and there was nothing else that would calm his nerves even a little.

The car rolled to a start at twenty seconds till but Mello didn't say a word. Matt went slow but not obviously so and they inched their way to the small café. Mello saw as Yagami walked into view and he thought of calling him but simply decided against it. The closer they got the more Mello wanted to call until Matt stopped the car at the curb.

"Matt-" but he cut himself off as Yagami stopped and stared in their direction for a moment before moving over to them. Yagami did not have a smile or a polite greeting once inside the car and Mello knew he would not enjoy the ensuing conversation.

Matt had turned down the music and the car was almost painfully silent as the redhead drove them in a different direction and more than far enough away from the cafe to stop and talk. From what Mello had seen, they hadn't been followed.

But that didn't mean he was going to drop his guard; the safety on his gun was unlatched and he waited for the silence to be broken. Yagami cleared his throat softly and turned in the seat, obviously uncomfortable with the position, to look at him.

"L had me look over some information when I got there and- look I'm sorry for this Mello. But short of making L suspicious of me or having him think I was less intelligent and less useful, it had to be done." Yagami sighed heavily and Mello narrowed his eyes at the slightly apologetic look that crept onto the elders features. What had he done? And who else would Mello have to kill because of it?

"Out of all the pages of information he gave me to look over, only certain things stood out. In it being that before the preliminary attack on the known Russian Mafiya's, one of them had been run differently; more hands on and aggressive." Yagami stared at him as if knowing that had been him.

"But it was obvious from what I had been given that after the attack it was likely that Mafiya had gone through a change in leadership but that it didn't necessarily mean that the previous boss had been killed."

Mello unconsciously gripped the gun tighter and only a look from Matt stopped him from pulling it out. "Let him finish Mello." he grudgingly obeyed the redhead, who had lit another cigarette.

Yagami continued on as though he hadn't been interrupted and that he hadn't seen Mello fingering his gun despite the brunette's eyes being locked on the piece. "I also stated that had the boss actually been killed it would have caused at least some panic and breakdown of operations rather than the more cautious actions that were taken. But I did tell him that there was no proof that the previous boss had survived and that if he had he probably would have still been in charge... L told me my logic was faulty because I was missing information."

Mello tensed. There was something odd about Yagami's tone, as though he were hesitating?

"L presented me with a photograph-"

Mello went rigid as Yagami explained that someone had caught Yuriy handing off the bag of supplies to him the day of their flight to Japan. The picture was blurry but that wasn't had Mello worried; it meant that L had gotten so very close to them in Russia, closer to their home than Mello was comfortable with, and had they stayed there... L would have found them.

"-L said that while the Mafiya had changed how it was run, it was not the same type of change as it would have been had the previous boss been killed or were in hiding, but as though it were being run from afar. L went on to explain that he believed that Mafiya boss had not gone into hiding but was attempting to track him down in what he stated was 'correct with his personality'-"

Mello's breath froze on his lips and Matt shared a look with him, L knew they were alive.

"-when I asked as to what that meant L simply brushed it off as profiling. Which is bullshit, if you excuse my language, as there was nothing in that documentation that would allow that kind of profiling."

Mello let silence fall again as he digested the information. L knew it was them. And if he knew that, then there was an even larger need to end things quickly. L knew who he was dealing with and would know that they were in Japan.

"You need to leave Yagami." Mello said suddenly. The brunette looked at him oddly.

"You cannot been seen with us, or even near us. We will not meet again, not when L will be watching you. You can probably escape suspicion this time, but not another. Matt will drop you off near the cafe but we will conduct any meeting from phone or e-mail." he needed Yagami as a source close to L and he certainly couldn't afford Yagami to be used against him.

"Matt, give him your phone." Matt didn't look surprised, though he did delete something from the phone before handing it over. It had probably been Near's number.

"It's untraceable, just make sure you use it only where you are certain there are no cameras or listening devices. I don't think I need to tell you how extremely bad that would be." Yagami rose an eyebrow, as if saying 'I am a detective not some stupid street thug', and nodded.

"Don't bother dropping me off at the cafe, I parked two blocks away from it." Yagami told him with a slight smirk as he turned to face the dashboard again. Mello might have been amused had his body not felt as though he were a puppet being pulled taunt by invisible strings.

He had not been careful enough and he had been capture on film, granted it was a crappy picture and in black and white film, but L still had it. He would have to be more careful than ever, knowing that every face on the street, every person they met, might have ties to the detective.

They couldn't go out in public anymore without a disguise. Matt wouldn't like it but he had no choice... in fact... maybe he shouldn't even be around the redhead anymore. L obviously knew about him, but did he know that Matt was with him, that he had survived? If he didn't then Matt would be safer...

Mello's thoughts were distracted by Yagami exiting the car and Matt nearly speeding off afterwards. The atmosphere was tense, as though Matt knew of his thoughts, which was ridiculous, but Mello would need to speak with him the moment they got back to the apartment.

Mello wasn't even sure what he was considering really... he just needed to think.

.

.

"Matt.. I want you to stay out of this starting now." Mello managed to say the sentence calmly and keep his expression cool despite the look of outrage that blossomed across Matt's features. He had said it literally the second their apartment door had been closed.

"Absolutely fucking not!" Matt snapped at him.

"Matt this isn't up for discussion. L might not know that you are with me, or even alive, so it's best for you if I'm not seen with or around you. You were almost killed last time..."

"I can't believe you. There is no way in hell that I'm going to agree to this. You can't really believe that I would really just let you-" Mello stepped foreword and placed his lips on Matt's to silence him. But Matt was far from stupid, and having realized his ploy, wrenched away from Mello and backed away with a noise of contempt.

There was a silent '_fuck you_' on Matt's lips as he spun on heal and stalked angrily down the hallway.

"Don't fucking walk away from me Matt!" Mello shouted, no longer attempting to be calm as he grabbed a hold of Matt and pushed him against the wall, arm twisted gently behind his back; it was the first of any real aggression toward the redhead, something that he hadn't been able to control. This wasn't a fucking game.

He pressed the redhead bodily into the wall with the full intent of getting Matt to agree with him when Matt thrust back against him in such a way that it sent a jolt of pleasure through Mello's groin. He swallowed hard as it was done again.

"Matt-"

"Mello, I want you to take me right here." Matt stated with perfect clarity, the only thing tainting his words lust. It completely disarmed Mello, his grip going slightly lax as he stared at the exposed portion of Matt's face.

Matt had never bottomed; mainly because Mello hadn't wanted to hurt him with his inexperience, which was currently non existent after all the sex with the redhead. Matt wasn't injured anymore either.

"Matt- now?" he couldn't believe the words had even formed in his mind, never mind left his lips. And yet it was hard, despite all his anger, to ignore the soft grinding motions against his crotch.

Matt laughed a little. "Yeah. Right here." Mello buried his face in the soft red hair in front of him and groaned at the friction. He couldn't believe he was going to... he wasn't going to be distracted though, their conversation wasn't over, but maybe it was better to be exhausted when they fought.

"Fuck Matt... the things you do to me..." he huffed a small almost breathless laugh as he released the captive arm and moved his hands to the shirt covered waist. Once under the thin fabric Mello drug his nails across the heated skin he found and smirked as Matt began to quickly undo his belt.

Mello gently brought his lip to rest at the nap of Matt's neck before he pulled his lips back, almost as though to smirk, and sank his teeth into the flesh hard enough where there would be a mark left, but not enough to cause him any real damage. The reaction was instantaneous as Matt arched into him with a small gasp; Mello was more than pleased that he wasn't the only one with a sensitive neck.

He helped Matt with his buckle, Matt's fingers shaking too much to get it undone, as his other hand rubbed circles on the smooth skin of Matt's stomach. Mello was loving payback despite how it had been started.

Mello had just gotten his hand inside Matt's jeans when he was pushed away. "I refuse to be the only one getting undressed." Matt mumbled, his voice somehow softer when aroused. Mello rolled his eyes and made quick work of his fly laces and belt and shoved the offending leather down his hips and ground against Matt's clothed behind, making sure Matt could feel his erection pressing against him.

"Is that unclothed enough for you?"

Matt snorted. "Hardly. But I want you right now so I'm not going to be picky." Matt kicked his boots off into a corner and let his jeans fall to the floor, his boxers held up only by Mello's hand that had wormed its way inside, tenting the fabric further.

Mello trailed his fingers to the tip of Matt's erection and grinned at the soft moan he was graced with. "You want me Matt?" he teased, loving the reactions he was getting that he usually unwillingly gave the redhead when the positions were reversed.

"Fuck you know I do, just get on with it." Matt hissed and if he hadn't felt, rather directly, how aroused Matt was he might have been insulted. He had hardly done anything and Matt was already squirming in his arms, then again, Matt was always horny.

Mello might have thought of teasing Matt more if he didn't want it as bad as his lover did. He removed his hand from Matt's boxers to unzip his leather vest, tossing it aside as Matt got rid of his shirt. Mello used his teeth to rid himself of his gloves, Matt having already done so to his own at some point, and ran a finger down the exposed spine in front of him. Mello watched the muscles beneath him jump and tense as the heated skin quivered against him.

Mello hooked his fingers around the band of Matt's boxers and slid them down and off the redhead. "We don't have any lube, its going to hurt..."

"I'll be fine. I won't try to impale myself." Mello ignored the personal jab and made Matt spread his legs as Matt braced his hands on the wall. He couldn't believe they were doing that in the hallway...

"Don't bother prepping me, just go slow." Matt mumbled the second he had touched his fingers to those moist lips. Mello didn't bother to ask if Matt was certain, Matt knew his way around sex far better than he did.

"Fine, but I'm sure as hell not fucking you dry." he coated himself in spit and kissed Matt's cheek as he nudged him, earning a smile. He felt like an idiot for doing it, or maybe just a sap, but as he nuzzled the redheads cheek he slipped his left hand over Matt's and let their fingers tangle as much as they could while being pressed to the wall. Matt inhaled sharply as Mello pressed further against him, pushing inside of him as slowly as he could force himself to go.

Every few seconds he paused for Matt to adjust, Matt's soft hisses making him extra cautious and while the feeling was exquisite Mello just wasn't satisfied with their position. He forced Matt to bend a bit more and inched foreword, chest to Matt's back, until he could go no further without being doubled over the redhead, complexly encased in the scorching heat of the others body.

He licked the shell of Matt's ear and thrust into him with a moan. Matt's breaths were quick and his body automatically responded to the movement and rocked his hips back against Mello, pleasuring them both despite the lingering pain he must have felt.

Mello knew from the redhead's reactions though that it was not his first sexual encounter being on the bottom but he didn't dwell on it. Matt was his and Mello knew their experiances would be the only ones to count...

"Mello..." Matt moaned his name breathlessly; voice so soft Mello wouldn't have heard it had he not been so close to Matt.

The pace was quick and Matt had to be getting close; Mello removed his hand from its place on Matt's hip and began to stroke the neglected erection, timing it with every snap of his hips. Their skin was slicked and Mello felt sweat bead across his brow and at the nape of his neck.

Mello was overheated, sticky, and his heart beat harshly in his chest but he loved every sensation that came with the act, that Matt caused in his body.

He felt the snake like coiling sensation in his belly but ignored it in favor of pleasuring Matt, listening to his soft moans and only when Matt had cried out and spilled against his hand did Mello let himself go in a blur of thrusts and a low groan against Matt's neck.

He hardly remembered pulling out of Matt or how they ended up on the floor, only that they lay crumpled together half against the wall and recovering. He took one look at Matt's flushed face and the way his chest rose quickly and laughed with a shake of his head.

Matt looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"I can't believe you just talked me into that..." he mumbled as Matt merely grinned. And the worst part, he'd hardly needed any persuasion. Mello glared at the strands of hair that fell in his face and rolled his eyes as Matt brushed them behind his ear for him.

"I am going with you. No more arguments." Matt told him softly and though Mello wanted to protest Matt just kissed him. There was no tongue, no kink to it at all, just a simple kiss devoid of lust with nothing but love left. He loved Matt so much... and Matt loved him.

Mello spent so much time trying to keep him safe and worrying every time the redhead could possibly get in danger that he sometimes forgot that he wasn't the only one who felt so very deeply. Matt would come with him despite the danger, _because_ he loved him. And Matt had shown him the only way he knew how, the only way he knew Mello would listen to him.

"Pain in my ass." he sighed against Matt's lips and felt as the redhead smirked.

"I'm certain that's my line." Matt grinned cheekily at him but for once Mello just let it go.

_**-End Person-**_

**Special thanks to reviewers**: Mrs. L Lawliet 162

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Review?


	37. Chapter 32: Unexpected

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note

**AN**: XD. Its all I have to say.

**Suggested Listening**: Not Now **by** Little Boots

**Chapter Thirty-Two**: Unexpected

Mello sighed and glanced at the phone on the table as he silently debated getting the call over with or waiting. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to deal with anyone else at the moment.

He had just gotten off the phone with Matsuda, who had called him. Thankfully it hadn't been any bad news for the most part. Simply Matsuda wanting to know if there was anything else Mello wanted him to do, as Light had informed him of everything going on with L.

Mello leaned back, his head resting against the chairs arm. He had told Matsuda to concentrate on the people that surrounded Yagami, to make sure that none of them got too close to him and to keep extra tabs on the ones already close; and if possible, trail and survey the officers who had been or presently were acting suspicious as it was now, more than ever, imperative.

Matsuda hadn't really surprised him when he had stated that two of the other officers, who worked closely with Yagami's father, had been acting a little tense since a few days before; the date that Mello associated with L propositioning Yagami. Matsuda had concluded that it could have been a coincidence, as their cases hadn't been going well for them, but stated that he was wary of them. And if Matsuda was wary of someone then there was something more to it. Mello had suggested extreme caution for trailing them.

That call had taken up a half hour of his life. And Mello had a feeling the next one would take just as long if things didn't go in his favor. Sucking in a breath Mello leaned forward until his phone was within his grasp. He had given Yuriy more than enough time; he just hoped that the man had done as asked.

The call was picked up on the fifth ring, Mello having been willing to let it ring for some time, and there was a commotion going on in the background that didn't bode well for someone if the gunshots were anything to go by.

"Mello." Yuriy commented blandly, as though he couldn't be concerned with what was happening, and if he wasn't then Mello wasn't going to be either.

"You know why I'm calling." he told the other man. There was a tense silence, followed an agonized scream, in which Mello was certain he would have to get rid of Yuriy, someone who had been loyal to his family for so long...

"It's done. I'm not happy about it, but it's done. There is a lot of shit going down because of it, and even though we framed the smaller Titov family eyes are still glancing at us since we had the most to gain." Yuriy sounded far less than pleased and Mello understood but it was something that had to be done.

"Well done then." Mello commented, though he had a feeling it would only irritate the other man and perhaps it was that he had been aiming for.

"And the men, have you informed them yet?" there was a deep sigh on the other end.

"I have that planned for once the current commotion at the base has died down. Bernt and Stasik decided to make some trouble so I've just had them dealt with in a rather embarrassing way." Mello grinned. That meant they would live to regret their mistakes.

"Be careful they don't try to off you because of it." that was the last thing Mello needed. It was bad enough that he wasn't there and in the thick of things and relying on second and third hand knowledge but if Yuriy was killed he would _have _to make an appearance before his men, and he really couldn't afford to be traveling, never mind attempting to get Kain recognized as a second.

"No one here would let them after the backlash it's caused us."

"Is it something I should be concerned with?" Mello asked carefully. It was almost as though Yuriy were purposely attempting to keep him in the dark; and either it was simply because it were something potentially laughable, a screw-up unworthy of attention, of something darker. Mello knew he was paranoid but he wasn't sure what was simple paranoia or a gut feeling anymore.

"No, it's nothing major that will affect business. The only thing that would do that would be the Fedorov brothers."

Mello ignored the silent jab at him and instead refocused on the task at hand. "So other than that you have things in control?" he mused. Yuriy made a noise of acknowledgement and Mello snorted.

"Not for long you wont." he commented. He could almost picture Yuriy's reaction, the slight widening of his eyes before his years of experience overrode all emotions, he would straighten and be completely alert and focused.

"L is watching you." Mello told him and proceeded to tell him most of what he knew about L and how much he believed L knew, despite Yagami not being told. Mello knew that things needed to be changed, subtly, so that L wouldn't have an exact picture of their dealings if he didn't already.

"Don't implement things too quickly, think of it as chess. You make a wrong move and you will be checkmated before you even realize it."

"You think of this as a game?" Yuriy's voice was stiff and Mello wondered if he was angered. He had been a bit of since Sasha's death.

"Isn't it? The entire world is the board and life is the game. The only way to win to have the most under your belt before you die."

Yuriy sighed softly. "If you don't mind me saying, you are completely fucked in the head."

Mello laughed harshly. "Of course I am. I'm going up against L. Just make sure everything gets done." he dropped his amused tone towards the end and made it an order.

"Understood."

Mello tossed his phone onto the table and suddenly found himself with a lap full of redhead. He hadn't even noticed Matt in the room.

Matt had wrapped his arms around him and brought their mouths together before he could protest, and just when he had thought of giving into Matt and doing whatever he had in mind, the redhead pulled back with a smirk and stood up. "I know you are busy so I'll let you get back to it."

Mello simply stared at Matt's retreating form and waited until he was out of earshot before he groaned in frustration. Matt, not L, would be the death of him, he was certain of it. That or, as he looked down at himself with a grimace, death by prolonged erection.

Either way, it would be Matt's fault.

He was going to need some coffee before he did anything else. Coffee _and_ chocolate. It was going to be another long week, he could just feel it.

And if he had know just how long he might have simply gone back to bed right then.

.

Hardly four hours after his call with Yuriy Mello received an e-mail from Matsuda. The man always worked fast when he was given a task, an inert willing to please Mello knew. But it seemed that Matsuda had simply been lucky as he'd been invited to lunch with Yagami and his girlfriend _by _Yagami's girlfriend.

Though from the report it almost sounded as though Yagami had suggested to her that it would be a nice thing to do. Apparently she wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch and had done so, Matsuda had noted that Yagami got easily annoyed with her and honestly had no idea _why_ someone like him was dating her. Matsuda expected Yagami's parents to have something to do with it.

And that had only been part of the typed report, Matsuda had been able to record some of it, Mainly when Yagami's girlfriend Amane Misa spoke about the kind of clients she got in the modeling business; she apparently had clients from all over the world and not simply Japanese backers. Mello paused the video of her in mid speech and wondered why the name she had just rambled off had sounded familiar, but nothing immediately rang a bell.

There was a loud whistle that caught his attention, from right behind him, and he turned to see Matt looking rather thoughtful. "She's kind of cute, you know?" Matt commented and Mello frowned.

Matt laughed at him and shook his head. "It's only because she's blond and remind me a bit of you."

Mello let him off the hook and felt satisfied for all of three seconds before the actual words caught up with him.

"Are you saying I look like a chick?" he yelled but Matt, the bastard that he was, had already hightailed it from the room, obviously knowing what his reaction would be. "I'll show you chick when I shove my dick up your ass..." he snarled into the empty room.

Mello shoved his annoyance at Matt to the back of his mind and concentrated on what Matsuda had sent. In observing Amane, who apparently stuck to Yagami like glue whenever she had the chance, he was also able to get a little information on another woman, a news anchoress name Kiyomi Takada, who Yagami apparently went to school with whom Amane hated since the two had also dated in college.

The love triangle aspect of it didn't interest Mello in the least and was rather annoying to listen to; Mello wondered just how much of the conversation Matsuda had recorded and where he'd gotten the audio camera from so quickly, but he needed to know everyone in and around Yagami's life.

It was possible that L had recruited one or many of them. And for an old flame to suddenly reappear in Yagami's life right during the L situation rang a little too much of a coincidence for Mello. He rather hoped he had simply overanalyzed things.

Amane mentioned having just come back from America and that was when he recognized her clients name. It belonged to one of the American Mafia's families. And he knew it couldn't be a coincidence. He had worked with them in the shipping of arms from either country and had found out, during one of their completely pointless pre-business conversations, how he had a thing for pretty foreign models. And according to Matt's comment Amane fit the bill.

Mello tapped his fingers on his knee and tried to determine if any of that was of any use to him. He could have Yuriy get in contact with the American's and see if they would be willing to keep tabs on Amane, though Mello honestly wasn't sure if anything would come of it. Amane didn't seem the type to be able to pull off a complicated spy assignment, but then again neither did the brainless idiot Matsuda portrayed. He would be an idiot to simply dismiss her because of her apparent lack of depth.

As it wasn't a pressing matter he sent the request to Yuriy's e-mail. It would get done whenever the man looked at his account.

Mello had so much new information and he knew he had to go over everything he had again to make sure there was nothing conflicting, nothing that had changed. And he knew it would take days. With a sigh Mello took a sip of his cold coffee, pulled up his computerized files, and got to work.

.

.

Mello had hardly noticed the passage of time since then, being involved with negotiating with the Americans, and going over the e-mailed reports Matsuda continued to send daily on various people he observed and followed in his spare time or at work and such. Matsuda had apparently gotten a bug inside of Yagami's apartment, as he was sometimes invited over there, so there was even more video and audio to go over.

Everything had been quiet with Yagami and L the past few days, with the exception of when L had called him to personally see if anything new had been uncovered. Either L distrusted the entire Japanese police force, or he was testing to see if Yagami was withholding information he had already obtained from a different source. But Mello didn't worry on that as he knew Yagami wasn't stupid and wouldn't do something obvious to get caught.

Mello paced the room, needing the movement as much as it helped his train of thought after the long hours of sitting; there was something he was missing. He was certain of it. It was like a nagging feeling at the back of his mind and whenever he thought he had grasped it, it was out of his reach not unlike a wisp of smoke.

What bothered him more was that he couldn't discern what it pertained to. His mafiya? L? Yagami or Matsuda? Something else? And it bothered him to no end.

Mello whirled around, startled at the hand that griped his shoulder, and was pulled into a kiss. It wasn't one of the heated ones where Matt was simply horny and wanted him, but neither was it one of the spur of the moment quick ones either.

Matt carefully inched his arms around him, as though Mello were some easily frightened and volatile animal, and deepened the kiss ever so slightly. Mello's arms were trapped between them, pressed against Matt's chest, and though he could have easily pushed Matt away and gotten annoyed at being distracted he simply relaxed into the embrace.

"What the hell was that about?" he murmured, once Matt had finally pulled away. If Matt had simply done that to wind him down it had certainly worked. All of the tension in his body had left, though the reason for it was still on his mind.

"I was right. You did forget." Matt's smile held amusement and affection, the latter being something that was rarely shown in his expression. Matt kissed him on the nose and Mello frowned. He had forgotten something? What had he-

"Happy birthday Mello."

Mello froze, wide eyed, at the statement. Happy birthday? It was that time of year already?

"Hm... perfectly legal now right?" Matt said with a raised eyebrow, and Mello was reminded of just how young they were despite how old their souls seemed to have become in such a short amount of time.

Seventeen and eighteen, though Matt would be joining him in legality in a little under two months. "Thanks Matt." he gave a crooked smile, thoughts swimming in their fucked up childhood.

"Come on, gift time." Matt told him and unwound his arms, gently pulling Mello towards the bedroom.

Mello supposed it was the best place to have hid whatever it was as Mello only ever really went in there to sleep or get changed. He didn't randomly search through things like he did with the kitchen, mainly since things always got misplaced in the kitchen; it was rather difficult to misplace clothing unless Matt had thrown it somewhere...

"Sit." Matt forced him to sit on the edge of the bed, which Mello did with curiosity as he saw Matt dig through a pile of games. He laughed and Matt shared a grin with him; Mello never would have looked there even had he known Matt were hiding something.

Matt pulled free a good sized brown box and held it out to Mello as he sat cross-legged next to him. Mello shoved down the decidedly mushy feeling he could do without and instead began to calmly peal back the tape holding the box flaps down.

Once done he peered inside and felt his taste buds immediately begin to salivate. He hadn't had that chocolate in so long! He snatched the back of Matt's head and dragged him in for a searing kiss. He had only had that chocolate once before, and only at Wammys. He hadn't thought to look at the name on the label, only memorizing the coloring of the package to search it out again later, and had never been able to find it since.

"How the hell did you find this?"

"So I guess it's a hit?" Matt asked breathlessly. Mello didn't believe that question even needed an answer. "You know, there is more stuff at the bottom." Matt commented once he seemed to understand there would be no digging around in the box anytime soon.

Mello blinked. There was more? He tried, really he had, to stamp down the almost childish feeling of anticipation but in the end simply let himself push the chocolate aside as he dug. He eyed the contents in confusion for a second before he laughed. It was a completely Matt gift, and yet he loved it.

"Chocolate lube and body paint? Why Matt, whatever will we do with that?" he looked up and stared at Matt's grinning expression.

"I have no idea. It's your birthday."

Matt had given him free reign to do as he wished? It would distract him from the L case.. but Mello could afford it for one night... his thoughts had only been going in circles anyway. And maybe 'relaxing' would allow him to figure out what was nagging him.

"Hey Matt. What if I had wanted a different flavor? I don't eat only chocolate." Mello commented suddenly with a raised eyebrow despite being absolutely pleased with everything.

"If I had thought they had a cigarette flavored one I'd have gotten it." Matt replied cheekily. Mello only laughed and with a shake of his head pulled the redhead in for another kiss.

"Thank you Matt."

The redhead smiled slightly at Mello before climbing onto his lap. "How about we test out that body paint to see if it actually tastes like chocolate?"

"We could... but I have plans for that later. I have you _all _night." he grinned and watched as Matt shivered. It would definitely be the best birthday he'd had thus far.

Definitely, he reaffirmed to himself later as Matt's lips slide over his erection.

**-End _Unexpected_-**

**AN**: I'm horrible aren't I, leaving it there? XD Oh well.

**Special thanks**: 9shadowcat9, Bedessica, schoolkid, Mrs. L Lawliet 162, Gurgicalcipher, Flacks, ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3, PWN3D


	38. Chapter 33: Kink

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note

**Suggested Listening**: Magic **by** Emii**; **In the Air Tonight **by** Holly McNarland

**Chapter Thirty-Three**: _Kink _

Mello woke up feeling good, calm in a sense the day after his birthday. And he could only blame, or rather thank Matt for that. Matt had indeed let Mello do as he pleased for the entire night; the chocolate body paint had been an interesting experience, which was unusual as Mello generally got swept away in Matt's feelings and desires. Even the first time he had penetrated Matt had been on Matt's terms.

But the redhead hadn't so much as shook his head at Mello's ideas the night before and for that Mello was more than grateful. As such, Mello wanted to do something special for the redhead. Coincidently it was also something that he had been wanting to try for a while, as it had been on his mind since the incident that had alerted him to it had occurred. It was more for Matt than him though.

He glanced at Matt, who slept peacefully beside him and smiled as eyes shifted behind closed lids. Mello resisted the urge to reach out and touch him and instead carefully crawled from the warmth of the bed.

Mello left the bedroom still naked with goose flesh crawling up his skin and though it took him a while sifting through all the junk Matt had piled everywhere he found a pack of cigarettes; he made a mental note to make Matt clean it later.

Mello pulled one out and turned it around in his hand. He had tried one before and while Mello liked the taste on Matt he didn't care for them himself. Didn't like them at all in fact. He sighed. The things he did for Matt and his own perverted curiosity. Though to have gotten to the point where he could admit that it wasn't only Matt that submitted to his hormones...

He knew Matt was still in bed and still asleep from the lack of gaming noise and quickly marched back there, cigarette in hand and climbed onto the bed as he lit it as he slid the blankets off the redhead. It took only a few seconds for Matt to stir and those green eyes to open sluggishly as he groped around for his goggles.

Mello waited until Matt had noticed the scent before placing it into his mouth, the taste of smoke crawling down his throat. He watched in amused fascination as Matt was given an almost instantaneous erection at the sight of him. He crawled atop the redhead, elbows on either side of Matt's head and blew out a puff of smoke into his face.

"Is this sexy enough for you?" Mello purred, barely keeping the cigarette between his lips as he did so; he had no idea how Matt did it so effortlessly all the time, probably all the years of practice he'd had with the things.

Matt shuddered violently beneath him and Mello grinned, finding it far easier to do that than speak with it in his mouth, and only had to run his finger along the underside of Matt's exposed erection before Matt reached orgasm with a startled moan.

Mello blinked owlishly at the redhead beneath him. Mello honestly hadn't thought Matt would cum that quick. Sure he had wanted to test out just how much of a fantasy, or perhaps kink, him smoking was for the gamer but damn, he had hardly touched him!

Mello sat back on Matt's legs and simply observed him, almost forgetting about the cigarette between his lips until he wanted to speak but got a better idea. Drawing in a large breath of the foul tasting smoke and holding the stick above Matt's head he leaned down and kissed Matt, forcing their breaths to mingle and Matt to get a dose of his addiction. Both of them perhaps.

Matt licked his lips afterwards, arousal sharp in his gaze and Mello was unprepared for the redhead to suddenly flip their positions. "Fuck Mello, what the hell made you do that?" though from Matt's tone he was far from irritated, more edging into amazed.

"Because I knew that you would like it." Mello grinned and wrapped his legs around Matt's waist. Understanding filled Matt's features and Mello knew he didn't have to give him the real reason, Matt had already figured it out.

"Damn, you haven't been this way since we were kids, if even then." Matt commented against Mello's lips, breath ghosting across him making Mello shiver despite the words spoken.

Mello narrowed his eyes as Matt slid his hand down his thigh. "What way?"

"This...soft?" Matt hesitated, as though trying to find the correct wording.

"I am not 'soft'!" he snarled.

Matt laughed and kissed his cheek gently. "Yes you are, with me." Mello tried in vain to fight the heat rising to his face but gave up and simply glared at Matt's self-satisfied smirk.

"It's a good thing. I've told you before." Matt assured him, sealing the statement with a kiss that sucked all the breath from him and sent his mind reeling. Maybe he had gotten soft, and maybe it was only with Matt.. but Mello still didn't like the thought.

Matt took hold of the slowly burning cigarette that had somehow survived their interactions and took a long drag before snuffing it out on the bedside table. "Thank you for caring, even if you can be a pain in the ass about it." Matt told him, gazing at him with what Mello would call love if he had been inclined to thinking things like that.

He sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips; it was impossible to feel anger or even irritation when Matt said stupid things like that. Matt kissed him suddenly and Mello felt the mood change, felt the pull in his own body as soft fingers slid down his frame.

They pressed harshly on his stomach and nails scrapped at his skin as Matt's teeth tugged gently on Mello's lip. There was a soft 'click' and Mello knew Matt had opened the lube; the strong smell of chocolate floated through the air and Mello didn't have time to think as Matt was suddenly inside him.

Mello cringed at the intrusion, the lack of preparation, but was more than used to sex for it to truly bother him. Sex that morning was rough and fast and just as enjoyable as the night before when Matt had been at his mercy.

And afterwards Matt's breaths were heavy on Mello's neck, Matt's body just as heavy on top of him but Mello didn't mind in the least, though if asked he would deny it. He might have to smoke every once and a while just to see Matt so damn exposed and needy underneath him, more so that he had ever seen. And the ensuing sex afterwards had been mind blowing in its own way.

"As much as I would love to simply lie here all day, we should get up." Matt muttered into Mello's neck and yet made no move to get up. Mello laughed a little; Matt said one thing but his body did another. Mello ran his fingers along the curve of Matt's back and over his spine and kissed Matt's ear as the redhead mumbled something, his lips sending shivers along Mello's neck.

Matt was right, they needed to get up. And despite his mind attempting to persuade him otherwise, he flipped Matt onto his back and smirked down at him. "You do have good points every once and a while." he kissed the corner of Matt's mouth and rolled off the bed before Matt could protest.

Mello wondered when the change had really started, the softening of his personality, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He supposed he should have been a little resentful, remembering how distant he'd been from his emotions but really... he didn't mind. It was only for Matt, and even Near, to see anyway. He would still kill someone if it suited his purpose.

Mello took a quick shower, not bothering to get clothing and walked dripping wet back into their room where Matt was rolled onto his stomach and playing on his PSP. He rolled his eyes as Matt ogled him and simply got dressed in some of Matt's clothing, the heating in the apartment still being off.

He missed his leather but at the very least Matt's clothing was comfortable to wear and kept him warmer than he would have been. "Are you going to be working?" Matt called, eyes back on his games now that his skin wasn't showing. How typical of him, Mello thought ruefully.

"Yeah. No idea what's been sent now that I haven't been on in almost a day." he muttered the last portion more to himself though he wasn't angry; he had enjoyed his birthday far too much for that to happen. He supposed Matt's easy going attitude was simply too easy to catch.

"OK. I'll make breakfast then." Mello turned around to protest, but Matt had already shut his game off and gotten out of bed.

"Damn it's cold in here!" Matt muttered darkly as he brushed passed Mello and darted into the still steamed up bathroom. Mello shook his head with a small smile and grabbed his phone off the dresser as he strutted from the room.

He had placed it on vibrate the night before, though was certain he wouldn't have heard it...

There were no messages though, so he wasn't worried. That meant his e-mail box was probably spammed by Matsuda. He almost regretted giving that assignment to the man, but knew it was important to keep tabs on Yagami.

Mello sat down on the couch and brought the laptop out of hibernation with a click of his finger. He refreshed the page he'd been on and his e-mail showed three new messages. He sighed and opened the third one down.

It was a report on Matsuda following, in disguise Mello hoped or at least very inconspicuously, Amane and Yagami as they went to dinner. There was nothing of importance in the observations there, Matsuda even saying as much. There were simply too many people coming and going in the restaurant to tell if any one of them were something abnormal in Yagami's surrounding. He supposed had someone kept staring, or popping up around Yagami it might have been obvious, but he agreed with Matsuda that there had been too many variables to be completely certain.

Mello was waiting for something to happen, what, he wasn't entirely sure.

He saved the e-mail to a special folder marked for reports only, and opened the next one. It was dated that day at around six-thirty am, it was already around nine am, and Mello grinned almost maliciously as he read the text.

A dark eyed man with wild raven colored hair had walked into the station and asked to see Yagami Light. Matsuda had been there with Yagami, both having arrived early as their case load was horrendous, when the stranger had arrived. He formally introduced himself as L's proxy, by the name of Ryuzaki.

Even had Matsuda's descriptions ended there, Mello would have known it was L. It couldn't be anyone else. 'Ryuzaki' was also sticking to Yagami as much as he could, apparently finding him 'interesting'.

"So L _is_ keeping tabs on him..." he muttered to himself, scrolling further down into the document. He was there to observe for a few days and collect those he believed worthy of the task force that would be working with him in L's case of taking down organized crime.

"Mello, stop frowning and eat." Matt said, startling Mello from his thoughts. He jerked his gaze up to meet Matt's and noticed the two large plates of food.

"Can you only make egg products?" Mello asked with a smirk as he grabbed the plate offered. Matt shrugged and settled down beside him.

"They are quick to make and don't take much thought. Now eat while I multi-task." Matt told him as he took the laptop away.

"Matt-"

Matt kissed him and all Mello's protests died on his lips. Matt grinned when he pulled away. "Let me get caught up while you eat."

Mello merely glared at him, and shoveled a forkful of the fluffy egg into his mouth but didn't otherwise protest. He had a feeling Matt would simply take the laptop with him if he tried anything.

He had promised to keep Matt in the loop, and he supposed the fastest way to do so would to just allow him to read over the e-mails. He wondered at the change though as Matt was usually content with second hand knowledge concerning the case. But he wouldn't complain, and damn those eggs were good; it could have been the bacon bits added to them though.

Even if they were really one of the only things Matt could make the eggs were always good no matter if the ingredients were different or not. But if he had to eat more than one meal of them a week Mello would kill him.

"So L is at the station now? I guess it's a good thing I already got my stuff done in there, it would have been really bad had I run into him." Matt commented, eyes still locked onto the screen while he ate.

Mello froze. He hadn't even thought of that. It would have been disastrous. He shoved down the slight panicky feeling as he didn't have time to deal with what if's and things that hadn't happened. It had been nerve racking enough without adding nightmare scenarios into it.

"Thankfully L took his time to get moving.. otherwise you might have had to fight your way out." and Mello could just imagine how bad that would have been. A firefight in the middle of a police station.

"Hmm." Matt made a noise of agreement around his fork, letting it hang out of his mouth as he was distracted by something on screen and forced to use both hands, or perhaps was so used to using both hands it was automatic at that point.

Mello watched him for a little bit but soon realized that Matt would be oblivious to his surroundings until he was finished. Mello didn't mind much, though it did mean his laptop was hostage until then. He contented himself with finishing his food slowly and enjoying the extra warmth Matt's body provided from being pressed so close.

He was able to keep his thoughts from straying by focusing on that heat, that warmth and was almost startled by the hand that touched his cheek. "You zoned out for a little while, anything interesting going on in that mind of yours?"

"Not really." he murmured and was rewarded with a soft snort of amusement. Matt shook his head slightly as he handed back the laptop and took both their dishes out of the room, though Mello doubted he would wash them and was hardly surprised when Matt came back hardly a minute later; far too short of a time to have washed them and cleaned the area.

Matt sat next to him again as Mello read and for once Mello didn't mind the company as he 'worked'.

Matsuda went on to say that he didn't think 'Ryuzaki' liked him very much as he seemed almost annoyed with him and kept sending him to do menial tasks that no one disagreed about as he was L's proxy.

Mello hoped that Matsuda's cover wouldn't interfere with his ability to watch Yagami. But if the time came to choose Mello wouldn't have him break cover. He needed the man to stay as an informant above all else.

But there was still something that bothered Mello, a nagging feeling in the back of his mind forcing its way into his attention. There was something more to L's appearance that he wasn't seeing. And no matter how many distractions he'd had, he still felt it. But he simply couldn't put his finger on it.

"Hurry up Mello, I want to read the other report." Matt nudged him and Mello glared at the red head.

"Whoever said I was going to let you?"

Matt snorted and reached over to open the new document. Mello allowed Matt to scoot closer, throwing an arm around him to share the laptop screen. Mello figured it was simply easier than trying to argue with him.

.

.

Hours later, Mello knew exactly what his instincts had been telling him, as he turned on the television. He dropped the remote, the smooth surface sliding easily through his limp fingers. It wasn't possible.

It had to be a coincidence. Right?

It was breaking news on the international news channel, a story about a possible bombing or gas explosion in an apartment complex in Russia.

There was no way...

Mello moved without thinking and snatched his cell phone and had it pressed to his ear before it had even dialed. Mello closed his eyes, breath catching in his throat as an automated voice told him the number he was calling could not be reached at that time.

Maybe his phone was off...

Mello didn't believe his own thoughts.

He swallowed thickly and dialed a new number, one that was picked up after one ring. And everything was suddenly confirmed. Yuriy had been working himself up, for the better part of an hour, to call him. To tell him Near had been in their apartment when it had blown. The men watching the apartment had had their throats slit and had been left where they crumpled, and a small group of people had been spotted entering the main building of their apartment complex before the explosion.

Near was dead.

Near was dead... and L had to know where the base was.

He quickly told Yuriy to up and leave the base as quickly as possible, it didn't matter what was left there so long as everyone got out before L's agents arrived.

He hung up on Yuriy, not really wanting to hear anything more, or have to give orders at the moment. He had hardly realized he'd had the phone on speaker until he saw Matt standing motionless in the doorway, expression blank and fingers clutching the trim harshly.

Mello vaguely noticed Matt hang his head and push his goggles to his chest; Mello's eyes had strayed back to the TV still in a silent denial, complete disbelief.

He stared unblinkingly at the news, even long after the report had gone on to something else. Near was... Near was dead? He had thought it before... had been told it.. but it hadn't seemed... real.

The sudden smell of smoke broke his non-thoughts away and he realized that he had spaced out and left Matt to deal with it on his own. He was slightly surprised by just how far the gamers head was bowed, red hair more than concealing his features and by how close the game was to his eyes.

"Matt?" he called gently, as gently as he could manage without his own voice breaking, as he walked over to him.

"I'm alright Mello."

"No you're not." Mello stated while coming to stand right in front of him and Matt stiffened.

"You're not because... because I'm not." Matt looked up at that, tears sliding ones by one from his watery eyes. Mello tore the cigarette from his mouth and crushed Matt into an embrace. Neither of them sobbed and Matt's tears dried only minutes later but there was an emptiness in Mello that hadn't been there before; one that he was certain ate at Matt too.

He buried his face in Matt's neck and simply stayed there with him, safe in their own little world for a while longer, because the real one was simply too cruel at times.

**-End _Kink_-**

**An**: Yes, yes I did. XD

Everyone like the little surprise I had? Heh. I know my Mihael has been waiting for me to kill him off XD. I'm sorry I made you wait so long. :P

**2011**: Um…. Yeah. I've fallen out of love with this piece of work. _Hard_. And it seems everyone else has too (not to ignore the lovely people who have been reviewing) so I honestly don't mind XD. I will still post this as it would be stupid not to as there are only a few chapters left but I have to rethink the ending… that's all I'll say for now.

**Special thanks to reviewers**: ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3, MostlyxShortxStories, CharizardCyndi, Flacks, Slayers64, 9shadowcat9, ThornLeaf, Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, PWN3D


	39. Chapter 34: Suspect

**Disclaimer**: See all previous

**AN**: so, apparently I surprised people by killing off Near… but I'm surprised so many of you actually liked him XD

Anyway, not sure if anyone paid attention on Matt's birthday with the influx of b-day fiction, but I finally wrote InnerShadows contest win. It's called **_Bad Boy_**, so check it out if you dare :P

**Suggested Listening**: The Cross **by** Within Temptation

**Chapter Thirty-Four**: _Suspect_

Mello only woke due to the pain in his neck and lower back. It came from long hours of sleeping on the couch and the awkward position his arms were in from holding Matt who was cuddled against his chest. He sighed softly and a small strained smile appeared as he glanced at the redhead and was reminded the reason for their position.

Near was dead; that was the reason they hadn't moved into the bedroom having been too drained to do more than lie with each other where they were.

Mello brushed back the fringe of Matt's hair and watched as the redhead stirred. He hadn't meant to wake him but there didn't appear to be any way to keep him asleep anymore either. Mello watched as those familiar green orbs fluttered in an out of view as Matt took his time waking, enough time to notice his goggles were missing.

Mello looked on in confusion as Matt's eyes squinted and the pupils contracted and widened a few times as Matt's eyes blinked rapidly as though trying to figure out where he was despite how close they were.

"morning Mello.." Matt mumbled and reached around almost blindly for his goggles before Mello caught his face and forced Matt's stare onto him. Something wasn't right and Mello wanted to know what it was.

"What is it with you today, it's like you can hardly see?" he wondered if Matt was simply too drained from the day before and needed more sleep or something...

Matt tensed at Mello's words, dashing all notions of sleep and Mello glared at his lover who was obviously hiding something from him. He felt Matt go almost boneless atop him as he finally sighed after a small staring contest.

"That's because I practically can't see. Not without my goggles. I... never have been able to." Matt mumbled quietly. How had he never known about this, especially after so many years of knowing Matt?

He sent a look to Matt that simply translated to '_explain now_'. He watched as Matt hesitated for a moment before Matt shut his eyes, simply resting his head against Mello's chest.

"I have Retinitis pigmentosa, or something like that. I never really paid much attention to _what_ I had, only that I needed glasses because of it. My dad had the goggles made as I always lost or broke my glasses despite never being all that active as a child. I will eventually go blind, probably by forty, at the latest with how my vision is."

Mello thought of perhaps being angered at never being told, but he understood. At Wammys there had never been a good time, or reason, to tell him. Not even before the L incident. And what of it? It wasn't something he had specifically _needed_ to know... and if he knew Matt at all, it had become something of a habit to hide it and the longer he waited the more he _needed _to hide it.

Perhaps Mello would have gotten pissed off about it on a different day but he just didn't have it in him at the moment. And really... it was alright.

Instead he shook his head and kissed Matt, who flinched slightly, Mello figured at the unexpected reaction, before he responded to him. "You are a fucking idiot." he told Matt and placed the goggles, which had been wedged into the cushion above his head, over Matt's eyes for him. Matt grinned.

"Much better." Matt mumbled and kissed him back, though Mello could see the sadness in his eyes. It would probably be there for quite a while. He wondered if that particular ache would ever dull, but despite that... he couldn't help but be thankful it had been Near and not Matt...

It was a horrible thought but a truthful one none the less. It hurt with Near gone, like losing a limb, but if it had been Matt... it would have been like a gunshot to the head; something you may, by extreme chance, recover from but never be the same from afterwards.

Their kisses stayed light and infrequent with both of them more than content to lay there. Mello rolled his fingers across Matt's spine gently having long since reached under the shirt to feel him. He wondered if he had some sort of fixation on simply touching Matt, not even in a sexual way, but just being able to feel him under his fingertips.

It was possible... and had he been inclined, Mello may have tried to test that theory.

Matt's breathing had softened and he was partially asleep again, making Mello smile. He was able to maneuver himself out from under the redhead without much of a problem other than Matt grumbling and blinking his eyes a few times before they slipped shut again.

So he couldn't see _and _was exhausted. Not a particularly good combination.

"Mello?" Matt's sleep blurred voice called to him as he stood from the couch.

"Go back to sleep Matt. You don't need to be awake right now." he drew the blanket further up Matt's frame and watched in silent amusement as Matt curled up as much as he could and practically disappeared under the blanket, only the goggles and hair sticking out. Mello conceded that the apartment was cold.

Mello wished he was still asleep but now that he was awake he knew he had things to do. He'd left his phone on but that didn't mean he hadn't missed any calls or didn't have any work to do.

That and he needed something to rid him of his stiff neck. And once he had found himself a pain killer to ingest, which would only be able to take the edge away, he seated himself in the unoccupied chair near Matt with a blanket on his lap, a cup of coffee, and the laptop.

His phone had provided no immediate missed calls. No messages at all. Either that meant Yuriy was still on the move or his Mafiya was in dire trouble. He wouldn't know for a while longer and Mello didn't want to call Yuriy in case he was in hiding as it could point out his position.

He would wait a few more days before he called. Mello checked his e-mail instead and was hardly surprised to see something waiting for him, though one of the senders' immediately caught his eye. Yagami. And it said it was urgent and dated from the day before.

It really was one thing after another and there didn't seem to be a break available for him in the future. Mello took his phone with him into the kitchen as opened a can of some Japanese iced coffee Matt had bought as it dialed. He needed something to shock him awake rather than the slow acting hot coffee.

It was picked up immediately by a rather high strung sounding Yagami. And as Mello listened he understood why. He frowned as Yagami mentioned L and how he had pulled him aside at lunch and told him about his plans for one of the Russian mob bosses associates.

L had told him that he would catch them at their apartment and get information about the boss out of them and failing that simply kill them and get rid of the evidence, after all, there was no need to get the local police involved with corpses.

L had been watching him very intently for the rest of the day and he hadn't been able to get away long enough to e-mail.

Mello froze at that.

Did it mean that L suspected Yagami, truly suspected him, that he would give him that kind of information and hope to catch him in a conversation with Mello? But what did it mean now? Would L still be watching Yagami as much after...

"It was already too late. Don't bother worrying about it." Mello felt bile rise up in his throat but forced himself to ignore the absolute sick feeling that washed over him. L had Near killed to use him as a pawn, to fish out other allies he had. Ones that would warn Mello of Near's impending doom and out themselves in the process. He was thankful Yagami wasn't impulsive.

Despite the albino's death... it might have been better in the long run for catching L.

They couldn't get into the police station anymore; getting in once had been a miracle and that had been before L implemented his security system and Mello knew he needed Yagami and Matsuda on the inside.

"Give me Matsuda's number, he won't be watched as closely as you are. And if there is anything urgent you can have him e-mail me. That way when you aren't in a position to get a hold of me, Matsuda can."

Mello frowned, despite Yagami complying and rattling off the number. He was going to kill L. Somehow. He would do it even if it was with his last breath...

"Mello... I really am sorry." the hesitance in Yagami's voice made him smile slightly.

"Be careful. L is testing you, don't fail." he hung up and leaned against the refrigerator. He let his feet slide out from under him and came to rest on the ground, knees bunched to his chest. L had to be on to them or at least suspect that someone, if not Yagami, was involved. And if he didn't then L soon would suspect.

Yagami and Matsuda were good, but were they good enough to fool L?

.

.

Mello knew that Matt was the best. He believed it even if Matt didn't so he couldn't understand why Matt didn't want to do it.

"No. Mello, really." Matt was actually looking at him, so close that he could see the uncertainty in his eyes. It was so odd for Mello to see such an emotion in the gamer. Mello didn't see what was so difficult about what he was asking, especially from someone of Matt's talents.

"I'm only asking you to leave a little something in the system, something L would recognize should he see the error again. Like a watermark on a drawing. Nearly invisible at times but striking enough that it's noticeable all the same."

Mello wanted Matt to leave little bread crumbs, trails in the networks he invaded, ones that Mello knew L would be frequently watching. Make them obvious little mistakes but not so obvious that L would be able to tell it was a trap.

"And then you want _me_ to hack _L _when he latches onto them to get his location." Matt said sarcastically.

"With L only coming and going to the police station as he pleases you know there is no way to get to him otherwise. Come on Matt, I need your help." he coaxed, softly prodding at the gamers resolve.

Mello didn't care about a confrontation between them, not at all, the second he saw L he was going to blow a hole in the detectives head. He would be the judge, the jury and the executioner all in one.

"I'm not the best though... L has always been better. There is a very good chance he'll know-"

Mello silenced the redhead with a kiss. "You'll be fine."

Matt bit his lip uncertainly before hanging his head in defeat.

"Alright... alright..." Matt muttered. And Mello could have sworn he had whispered something like _'but please forgive me when it all goes wrong..'_ it was just the slightest bit unsettling to the blond.

"Thank you." he gave Matt a smile and though Matt returned it, it was shaky at best.

He sat on the arm of the couch and watched as Matt worked. Mello honestly couldn't see why Matt was worried. He was an excellent hacker and he could do things that most could only dream of. He watched Matt hack into the Russian government so easily and plant the first 'error' with awe. He was in and out in less than two minutes.

Matt went on to three other major agencies before he declared it enough for the day. It wasn't that he couldn't do more but that they didn't need more done. They needed L to find the trail, not a billion trails.

Matt powered the laptop down and turned to face him, face grim. "Mello... I want us to move."

Mello looked questioningly at Matt, having not expected that in the slightest. He didn't need to ask why as he was certain his expression had slipped more than enough. He had thought they had been comfortable there, as much as they could away from what had been their home in Russia.

"After what happened to Near... I don't think we should take any chances. I think we need to move to a different place." Matt's voice was stronger, more determined, and Mello knew that if he argued it would be a long argument ending in both of them yelling.

That would be if he had found anything to argue about.

He had thought of it, briefly, in the last day or so but hadn't gotten round to really deliberating on it as they would have already been dead if L knew where they were. But he supposed Matt was correct... better safe than sorry. Or in that case, dead. "Alright."

"Alright? You aren't going to argue about this?" Matt asked though he looked neither pleased nor displeased.

"No. I've thought about it too." Mello replied honestly. There was no reason to keep his thoughts from the redhead. Just as there was no reason for them not to move.

"If you want to make the arrangements I'll start packing." he offered and was given a small smile.

Matt swatted his ass as he walked away, making Mello roll his eyes. He was passed the point of yelling at him for it. But not far enough gone that he would admit that he enjoyed it sometimes... most of the time.

Mello supposed that moving _was_ a rather sudden decision if he thought back to their brief conversation, though from the way Matt had acted he had put a fair amount of thought into it since Near's death almost three days ago.

Mello sighed as he dragged out their suitcases he'd foolishly believed they wouldn't need again until L was dead. Another thing he'd been wrong at, and learned the hard way. He started on Matt's things, as they were numerous. Though he didn't dare touch his games. Matt would do that later on.

Nothing major had happened since Near's death. It was almost too calm. After such a large move L should have done something else, unless Yagami was playing his own part in L's scheme; though if he was, he wasn't making things easy for L.

Matsuda hadn't reported anything out of the ordinary either. Well if L waltzing into the NPA whenever he wanted didn't count as odd, other than L sticking to Yagami more closely. But it wasn't something Yagami hadn't already told him.

There was also nothing, Mello reflected as he shoved clothing inside the lack bag, from his Mafiya. He knew he should contact them, but he found himself almost hesitant. His emotions were already teetering on the edge and he wasn't sure what might set him off.

It wasn't that he would necessarily do something reckless in the case of bad news but the more things went to hell because of L the more Mello found he couldn't control himself. L brought out every and all negative emotion in him in a way that not even Near in the early days could.

He would have to call Yuriy and soon. No more than another two days. But before that he knew the packing needed to be done and the move complete. There would be no need to take the furniture, it was shit to begin with, and he was certain Matt would have everything furnished no matter the state of the apartment.

Mello hoped it would be in a nondescript neighborhood such as the place they were in but he wouldn't argue Matt's choice unless it was next to Yagami's own place. He might have had an issue with that.

"I've got us a place nearly a two hours from here. We can simply adjust any plans from there." Matt called to him from the doorway, though he moved from his leaning to take the things from Mello's hands and kiss him in thanks.

Matt hadn't needed to say it aloud for Mello to understand him. "Go pack your games, I'll get this stuff." he muttered against Matt's lips.

"Ok." Matt surveyed him for another moment before he pulled free a bunch of packing material, that Mello hadn't remembered saving, as well as a few modified suitcases for his games. He really ought to limit the amount of consoles Matt was allowed to have as he seemed to accumulate them rapidly no matter the situation.

But they were as much as an addiction as his chocolate was to him so Mello knew it was an impossibility.

"Before you ask, we are in the same type of place though I did arrange for them to have the furniture replaced beforehand. No one will see the inside of the apartment while we live there. Not unless we let them in at any rate." Matt grunted mid sentence as he hefted one filled bag off the bed. He couldn't move it with his foot so it stayed where placed. Mello hoped Matt knew he would be the one to carry those up the stairs, assuming they didn't have a first floor apartment which always were rented out first.

"How long do you think L will take to notice...?" Mello was asked a few minutes later, after having acknowledged Matt's earlier comment. Mello set his own bag to the floor beside their bed and leaned casually against the wall.

"It depends on what he is doing, whether or not he has Watari monitoring any programs he might have for this sort of thing. He might be at the station and unable to get to it for a while. Or it might be two minutes from now." he shrugged. He was calm for Matt but only because he knew the redhead was already unhappy about having had to do those things in the first place.

There was really nothing to do but wait no matter how much both of them hated it. And despite Matt's frown Mello wordlessly went back to packing. It might have gone unsaid, but they had a time limit to get to the new place.

**_-End Suspect-_**

**AN:** OK, im really not happy with this chapter. But it can't be helped as I wrote this I was in the middle of my work week from hell, and the days that followed had simply drained me and I hadn't wanted to write anything and when I did I got so tired after 300 words all I'd wanted to do was curl up and sleep.

That being said, for those who didn't read the other AN from last chapter, I'm attempting to rework the ending so the next update will probably be longer in coming.

THANK YOU EVERYEONE for getting me over the 500 review mark. It means a lot.

**Special thanks**: dancingsilverwolf, CharizardCyndi, Slayers64, PWN3D, Flacks, K.T. Snow, Gurgicalcipher, HikariFighter, foreverunloved, BehindHappyFaces, Deadly Nightshade1395, pandagirl77, ambie-lee-smiley-chanX3, 9shadowcat9


	40. Chapter 35: Wreckage

**Disclaimer**: See previous

**AN**: Not that anyone cares but I updated Bingo Daubers and I Love You's on….Sunday? XD

**Suggested Listening**: Wreckage **by **It's Alive

**Chapter Thirty-Five:** _Wreckage _

The new apartment really was nice, Mello thought. It had been three days since they'd moved in, and two since they had first started packing. The place was in a shit neighborhood but the inside was nice, although the latter was only because Matt had been sick of living with couches where things poked you in your leg if you sat in the wrong spot.

It wasn't as nice as their... other apartment in Russia had been and Mello doubted anything ever would be. He shoved the darker thoughts from his mind and dried his hands on the dishtowel as he finished cleaning.

He had made dinner and asked Matt to add a few more lures for L afterworlds as he'd started washing the dishes. L had been quiet the last few days according to Yagami and Matsuda; and Mello wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He was still monitoring Yagami; that part was no different, but Matsuda had said something was off in his behavior.

Mello wondered if he had something else in the works; well he knew L had to have something else, but was it specifically in mind for them? He sighed and swiped at his bangs, the few wispy strands shorter than the rest, as he walked into the living room. He was emotionally drained and physically exhausted because of it.

It was the reason he had distanced himself from Matt and Near in the first place...

"You alright Mello?" Matt's sudden appearance startled him though he didn't show it. All he seemed to do lately was sleep and space out; he need to go to the gym and get back into working order. His concentration was shot but a strenuous workout would help with it.

"I'm fine, are you finished already?" Mello stamped down on a yawn before it could start and Matt simply looked at him as though his question had been stupid, and perhaps it had been. Matt wouldn't have been out there and away from the computer if he had still been in the middle of something. Unless it was a game which he could pause while he got something to eat, Mello amended.

"Mello, why don't we watch a movie while we wait?"

Mello looked at him incredulously. "I can't simply-"

"Doesn't all of our plans revolve around L's participation?" Matt pointed out. Mello hesitated. On one hand, if he stayed as he was his thoughts would either drift from L to Near and back again. On the other if he let Matt have his way, his thoughts would probably still be on them, either way he would be wound up-

Matt sighed heavily. "Fine, so a movie isn't going to distract you." after a moment Matt let his features morph into something Mello had come to call devious. He _knew_ that smirk, and what it meant.

"Matt-" he was cut off by Matt pushing him into the doorway, his lower back hitting the trim before anything else. Matt's tongue was in his mouth and Mello gave in, tangling his fingers in those soft red locks.

Things had been edgy and oddly distant between them since Near's death, both dealing with it silently since the night they had fallen asleep together, and Mello wanted nothing more than to break free from it.

Neither of them were good with dealing with things, loss especially, and to an outsider it may have seemed as though Matt had never cared, or was trying to sweep things under the rug by ignoring it, but Mello knew that Matt was doing it for him. Trying to appear calm and normal to keep from adding stress, stress that was already exhausting him.

Mello wanted more than anything for there not to be a reason for Matt to have to do that for him.

His breath hitched, body arching, as the drawstring of the sweatpants was pulled and the material was eased down his hips. Matt was hardly wasting any time and Mello might have hurt him if he had decided to go slower.

Mello never would have dreamed of having a connection so deep with someone, and accepting it, but for the moment all he wanted was for it to be reestablished. He pushed back on the fingers that probed him, stabbed at him and stretched him.

The prep was hasty, as hasty as Matt as he undid his belt and popped the button of his jeans open and shoved them down his hips along with his boxers. It was cold and Mello saw the goose flesh spread across Matt's pale skin like fire.

Matt pressed him bodily against the wall and guided one of Mello's legs to his waist and Mello followed suit with the other until he was held up only by Matt and the wall. Matt kissed him forcefully and entered him with a sharp snap of his hips; Mello's soft hiss of discomfort was lost in the kiss.

Mello's spine was pinned harshly against the trim, the groove digging into him and he knew he would have bruises come the next morning but was hardly concerned when Matt began to teasingly stroke his half erect penis.

It had only been days but it had felt longer since they'd had sex and Mello conceded that Matt had gotten him addicted to the closeness and the pleasure of the act. There were no words, nothing more than their labored breathing and quiet moans and harsh touches.

He had missed it.

Mello groped at the wall above him as Matt kissed at his neck, warm lips and hot tongue across his skin, and goddamn the feeling of his hardness sliding in and out of him. He bit his lip to silence himself and couldn't remember if it had always been that good or if it was the slight kink factor of being taken up against the wall that added something.

He didn't truly care though.

Mello's eyes fluttered shut and his head hit the wall behind him, tilted back to expose more of his neck to that sinful mouth on him. Matt's fingers dug into his hips, tugged him down with his thrusts as his body shoved Mello into the wall with the force. Matt's nails scraped at his flesh, bit sharply into him, but all Mello could really feel was the mounting pleasure, the coiled tight pressure feeling he got before release.

And when it came he squeezed his eyes tight, nails scrapping at the wall above him as his body shook from the intensity that rocked him. Everything faded away at that moment and left him boneless in the aftermath, slumped against Matt who barely held him up after his own orgasm.

Mello dropped his legs and as they stood there regaining their breath, Matt's hand rested gently on Mello's hip as his fingers gently rubbed the heated skin. Mello had to admit, he certainly wasn't tense anymore. He didn't think his muscles had the energy to be so either.

He smiled slightly at Matt and kissed his jaw as he pulled away. He had begun to cool off and it was too cold to stand there naked. He had no intention of redressing again and headed, albeit shakily, into the bathroom, Matt following him all the way.

He pulled out two towels, as he was under no delusions that Matt wouldn't be joining him, and turned the water on, letting the temperature set. "Thank you..." he uttered quietly, and thankfully Matt wasn't the type to be smug as the redhead simply smiled at him and brushed his lips across Mello's neck, fingers lingering by his hips but never really touching.

Steam began to run from the shower so Mello adjusted the temperature again and deemed it usable after a few more seconds. Mello had just stuck a leg inside the tub when a shrill beeping made him freeze instantly.

"Shit.." Matt swore and ran from the bathroom, still completely naked. Mello sighed heavily and turned the water off. They would have to go without a shower for the moment, on the upside, it seemed that L had found their trail. Mello never thought that would actually be a good thing.

He padded quickly into the bedroom, pulling on clothing as he found them and sat beside Matt. The redhead's hands flew across the keyboard and Mello merely watched him quietly, only really understanding every other thing Matt did.

"He's hacking into the false data now." Matt commented, his eyes never once leaving the screen. Mello leaned over Matt's shoulder to peered more closely at the screen. The original plan had been for Matt to follow the hack back to L's system and find out his location, but now that Mello thought of it, he had a better idea, a simpler one. Though he would still have Matt attempt to hack L.

"Plant the address of our previous apartment in the system."

"What? Why?"

He grinned toothily at his lover. "Because it will be easier to draw L out that way." especially after the last attempt had failed. L would want to do things personally the second time around after his hired help had failed; though Mello wondered if he knew how damn close he had gotten...

"L will go there in person..? Are you certain of that?" Matt mumbled though he didn't really sound all that convinced. Regardless, more internet tabs were already open as Matt's mind and fingers worked in synch to create whatever he had cooked up to complete Mello's request. Mello liked to watch him work though he hadn't done much of it in the past.

"OK, it's all set... now we have to wait for the confirmation that L viewed it." Matt commented, pulling his fingers from the keyboard and unconsciously rubbing them across his arms, which were filled to the brim with goose bumps and were cold, Mello discovered, to the touch.

Really, the idiot should have put clothes on first. Getting L was important, but so was Matt not getting sick.

"Do you need to do anything immediately after we get the confirmation?" he questioned the redhead, and upon the negative shake of his head, he hauled Matt from his seated position and swept him into a kiss.

He pulled the naked redhead close to him and gently ran his hands across Matt's chilled form, and despite loving the way the skin jumped and quivered beneath his fingers, he knew it was mostly due to how cold Matt was.

Mello kept their lips glued until they both had long run out of air and he watched with a smirk as he leaned away from the kiss, Matt's face flushed and a slight warmth tingling across his skin.

"Go get dressed." he gave Matt another quick peck on the lips before pushing him towards the dresser. Matt blinked at him for a few seconds, as though he were confused, before smiling and doing as asked.

Mello's eyes traveled to Matt's backside of their own accord and he watched as Matt hastily dressed himself and smirked as he caught Mello's stare. The computer beeped once more, ending their silent stare down and they were both immediately crowding the small screen.

Mello stared at the screen in silence. It had worked, not that he had doubted it would. L had taken the bait, the information, which had been too irresistible to ignore. The only thing was whether or not L would actually go there. Mello knew he would only have one shot, and one shot only at it.

If he didn't get L there, if L went there at all, he knew the detective would hold himself up in some hotel until he had burned the world down around them and was assured his victory and in turn, their deaths.

Mello planned on going there though, no matter the odds and ending things; putting a bullet right between the detective's eyes or even in the back of his head of it were required of him. He would do whatever necessary to get rid of L. Then, Mello thought to himself, he and Matt deserved a vacation. Perhaps even steal what was left of Near and burry him in his family plot like Mello knew he had wanted.

"Good job Matt." he told the redhead, though all he received was a halfhearted shrug in response.

"I guess that means no shower?"

Mello didn't bother to answer and simply walked from the room. This would have to be planned carefully, as much as it could be, he would need to be even closer to the apartment than he would have liked in order to monitor it personally. If L really did go there, Mello would need to be on site as it wouldn't take long for the detective to realize no one was there anymore. Or at least _they_ weren't there anymore.

There would be no time for a commute, no time to be anywhere but already across the street or somewhere in the building itself.

Matt was not going to like it...

-**End Wreckage**-

**AN**: so this chapter didn't originally end here but I decided I didn't want to edit something over 4k anymore XD

Special thanks: 9shadowcat9, MostlyxShortxStories, Flacks, SensiblyTainted, PWN3D, Franzy's Whiplash Splash, CharizardCyndi, K.T. Snow


	41. Chapter 36: Cornered

**Disclaimer**: See previous

**Suggested Listening**: The Silence (remix) **by** Sarah McLachlan (I so forgot about this song for a loooong time, now I'm obsessed with it again XD)

**Chapter Thirty-Six:**_ Cornered_

Mello ran a hand through his hair that was still partially damp from his previous shower, one he knew he shouldn't have taken after setting up surveillance but he had needed it. He had felt dirty, grimy and overall uncomfortable.

He hadn't taken one at the apartment the day before as Matt had barely let him out the door after he'd told him what he would be doing. Matt hadn't had a problem with his mafiya work before, though Matt had scarcely knew exactly what he had been doing at any given time to stop him, so Mello found it rather annoying that he didn't want him so close when it was L.

Although Mello understood Matt's worry, it still annoyed him.

Mello had promised he'd wear the headset so Matt could talk to him whenever he wanted and keep tabs on him because there had been no way Matt was going with him. No, he'd had Matt contact Yagami and Matsuda to update them on the situation instead.

Mello hadn't wanted any police hanging around until the last possible moment, preferably after L had arrived. If L noticed anything out of the ordinary he wouldn't even get out of his car or whatever he was using as transportation to get there. That was the last thing Mello needed; having to rush from his current hiding place across the street and onto his bike for a high speed chase.

There was still nothing going on, being nearly a full day since L had gotten the information, and despite everything Mello left to the small kitchen to grab his coffee from the pot. There was something that bothered him about the entire situation.

L usually jumped on something as crucial as the false information he had gathered so it was odd to Mello that the detective hadn't done anything yet, hadn't taken any form of noticeable action. It was a little disconcerting to say the least.

Mello took the cup into his hands, dumped a bar of chocolate into it and wandered back into the living room. There was nothing worse than waiting and the entire case had been nothing but waiting and more waiting with usually disastrous results. Mello had to question if everything connected to the letter L would end that way.

Mello's gaze was locked firmly out the window though he took in the surroundings around the apartment as well. It was a cloudy day where it looked as though it might rain any second; the sky was a dark grey that cast a gloomy and depressing outlook on everything its light touched.

The buildings in the area were cracked and worn; the streets while not abandoned were filled with the weird and strange and those who no one would miss. Mello smirked. They had really lived in a shitty place until recently. Even being only a few blocks away made a lot of difference.

Mello left the reminder of the now cold coffee on the window sill and continually scanned the crowds. He wasn't sure what he would be looking for as there were so many different types of people and if L went in disguise Mello would need to be quick in recognizing him. It was too much to hope that the detective would simply waltz into the place with his slouched position and white shirt and jeans.

Nothing had ever been easy in his life and Mello didn't expect that to be either.

Matt checked in on him once, minutes maybe hours later, and though they hadn't really talked about much it had helped to pass the time in the otherwise boring watch. He wanted Matt to be there despite not wanting him in danger. Mello was conflicted by his desire to be close the redhead and the need to make sure he was safe.

Love was complicated and annoying.

Mello rested his chin on his palm, forehead nearly pressed against the glass, when something caught his eye. That man hadn't been there before. And he didn't look like he belonged there either.

He appeared to be waiting... to be... keeping watch!

"Fuck!" Mello swore and pushed himself away from the window in a hurry. No one had gone in the apartment, of that he was certain. So they had to have gone in another way but he had Matt watching the other entrance with cameras and Matt hadn't contacted him.

Was there an entrance they'd missed? But it wasn't possible; they'd lived there and knowing all possible entrances and exits had been crucial. So how the hell had L's men gotten in?

Mello was already fully dressed, minus his red jacket and sunglasses which he wouldn't need at the moment. L already knew what he looked like so everyone would already know what to look for and the hood of his jacket wasn't going to hide him.

"Matt I don't know how he slipped passed us but L is here. I'm going on radio silence, make sure you inform Yagami." he took the earpiece off and didn't care where it landed as he took the downwards steps three at a time and rushed out into the gaggle of bodies blocking his rout to the other apartment.

He let himself be swept off farther down the street and dodged into the alley behind another apartment and when he didn't see anyone watching the back entrance into the other one he immediately pulled out his gun.

L wouldn't make an oversight such as that.

But no matter, he had to go in.

The door squealed obnoxiously loud as it was forced open making Mello cringe. Sometimes he hated real life; shit like that never happened in the movies. He treaded as quietly as his boots allowed and grit his teeth at every loud sound.

Everything seemed to bounce off the walls in the eerie silence. Had that place always seemed so quiet and lifeless? Or was it a recent development...

It didn't seem to matter much though. He hadn't even taken a full step out of the stairwell before a gun was pointed at his head and someone grabbed at his gun. If he struggled he would be shot and if he didn't he was fucked either way.

"You came exactly as he said you would. I never doubt my money source but he was spot on." the man looked vaguely surprised and it made ice form in the pit of Mello's stomach.

Matt had told him that he only ever had one opponent he couldn't ever beat. One person that made sure he was never the best, L. When he'd made Matt hack L the redhead had apologized and Mello should have taken that warning to heart.

Because L _was_ better than him.

Because L had hacked Matt as Matt hacked L.

It was the only explanation to everything. L had to be in their system, the reason Matt hadn't noticed them moving in and perhaps the lack of communication from Matt recently. Though from the lack of emergency signal on his phone Matt was still alright.

"L wants you alive, but I'm sure I'll still get paid if we have to kill you." the man with the gun stated. Oh they would get paid in the end. L would kill them. He wouldn't leave any loose ends, especially if they were merely hired guns.

Fuck, was all Mello could think.

Mello barred his teeth as his gun was pried from his fingers and was slipped into the waistband of the other man's trousers; he was a Japanese police officer, Mello remembered his face.

Moji? No that wasn't right...Mochi?... Mogi?

It didn't really matter though. He'd been right that L had people on the inside; Mello just hoped that Yagami hadn't been found out and the entire police force wasn't in L's pocket or he would have miscalculated far worse than he'd thought.

There was nothing more said to him and he was simply dragged back down the steps. Mello snarled as they manhandled him; he probably would have had better luck barging in through the front and would have seen them first at any rate.

He couldn't believe it had ended so quickly with no time to even fight but he would be damned if he just lay down and died. Mello still struggled slightly but stilled as they reached the bottom steps. They weren't headed back out the same way; they were taking him out the front to be paraded like some criminal being brought to justice. How fucking ironic.

Mello waited, completely on edge, as he was jostled out the front door by one man as that Mogi guy held the door open for them. Mello took that moment to knee the guy holding him in the balls and elbow him in the throat. He wriggled away from him and didn't bother looking to see if he was down for the count or following.

The entire point was to get away and he wouldn't if he stopped to look for pursuers ever few seconds. Mello ran into the small crowd in front of him and weaved between the people ignoring the grunts and annoyed gasps from the people he bumped into.

Mello dodged behind a car and nearly tripped on the hidden curb but managed to use the momentum to propel himself faster. He needed to get out of the area even though he had another gun stashed away in the lookout apartment he would be hard pressed to make it there before them.

That... and he needed to get to Matt.

Mello was tackled from behind and sent face first into the pavement; the motion was more than enough to knock the air from his lungs. He lay dazed for a half second before struggling with the weight on his back, but to no avail.

More footsteps thundered on the ground and Mello had no time to react as he was kicked in the head. Pain shot through his temple and Mello could distantly hear people shrieking and yelling in the background, probably the crowd around them.

Mello was hauled to his feet, a pair of handcuffs now firmly on his wrists; dimly Mello wondered why they hadn't just used them in the beginning. Perhaps they hadn't perceived him as a threat. It didn't really matter though, did it?

Mello was roughly shoved into the back of a car, unmarked and unassuming, and lovingly told that he would be seeing L soon so he best behave better. He scowled at them, but really, what more could he do?

I'm fucked, was all he could think angrily, completely fucked.

But it wasn't only anger that he felt. No... there was something darker in the mix as well. Something he knew he didn't have time for, especially not whilst in his captors company. And despite that Mello hung his head silently in defeat, knowing that no matter what, Matt wouldn't simply leave him to whatever L had in the works.

Mello was brought to some dingy wharf, yellow box or something, and herded into the corner furthest from the only exit. The man who he was now certain was named Mogi, left after that and Mello was left in the company of the one that had kicked him in the head. The man made no move to come any closer to him though, merely sneering and keeping his gun trained on him.

Mello's hypothesis was proven true when Matt was brought, not struggling, into the wharf hardly a half hour later by Mogi.

"You fucking idiot... you shouldn't have let them get you." he muttered as Matt staggered to his side after being shoved in his direction; Matt had a bruise on his cheek and his clothes were a little rumpled but otherwise he appeared ok.

Matt had at least put up a small amount of fight, probably only until it was mentioned that they had him already in custody and shown him some proof.

"I wasn't going to leave you here." Matt told him stubbornly, wincing as he spoke.

Mello sighed and gently brushed the forming bruise. "I know Matt... I know."

**_-End Cornered-_**

**AN:** So... anyone hate me yet? No? Alright...

**Special thanks**: Miharu is Haruka's Love Child, Gurgicalcipher, CharizardCyndi


	42. Chapter 37: Transmission

**Disclaimer:** See previous XD

**Suggested Listening**: _End Transmission **by **AFI_

**Chapter Thirty-Six**: _Transmission _

Matt hadn't been the only addition to the quiet wharf. Another NPA officer named Aizawa had come into the equation as well. They were two of the men that both Matsuda and Yagami had reported as seeming 'off' after L had shown himself.

Now they knew why Mello supposed.

He had watched them for a short while but neither of them had moved or faltered in their attention. Mello turned his gaze back to Matt after that; there was nothing more he could do for the moment. And although it might have seemed sappy, but if those were his last moments he didn't want to spend them glaring at Aizawa and Mogi. What a horrible last image...

"I'm sorry Matt..." he whispered against the others mouth; he ignored the hard stare directed at him by none other than Aizawa.

"For what?" Matt blinked at him and from that close Mello could just make out a hint of green behind the orange lenses.

"For getting you stuck in this mess." and for many other things there wasn't time to say.

"You know I don't mind. I'd rather be here with you than safe and worrying about you." Matt told him with a small smile and a shrug that jarred Mello's arm through their semi-clasped hands.

And not for the first time Mello felt guilt. If he had not been so damn revenge ridden then the three of them would have been able to live happily. But instead Near was dead and soon they would be as well. It wasn't the life they could have lead... _should _have lead, and Mello regretted it with everything he was.

Matt squeezed his hand tighter and Mello did not expect Matt's other hand to caress his scarred cheek or Matt to kiss him despite the sound of disgust Aizawa made.

He opened his mouth to the other, in what would probably be their last kiss, and let his mind drift to something simpler for a while, just _feeling _Matt and Matt him. It felt like giving up. Mello had never learned how to give up though.

He let his fingers drift over the curve of Matt's ass and start to creep into his back pocket where there was always some sort of weapon sewn into the fabric, releasable only by pulling on the loose inside thread. It usually had to be resewn after every washing.

"Remove your hand or I will blow it off right now. L wanted you alive not uninjured." Mello froze and reluctantly pulled his hand back. He had almost had it. Though Mello wasn't exactly certain what he might have done with it. Kindly ask Aizawa to come closer so he could cut his throat?

Mello flicked his gaze over to the cop and regarded the gun pointed at him. Either Aizawa really didn't want them making out on the spot or he somehow figured on a weapon. It didn't really matter either way.

There was a horrible screeching sound and Mello's eyes immediately locked onto the sliding metal door. The one letting light into the room. The one that had people coming inside of it. Time was up it seemed.

Mello held onto Matt for a moment longer before moving to stand next to him. He was far from afraid. Angry and disappointed, resigned even, but not afraid. Mello watched as a scruffy and hunched over figure made their way over. L was finally here.

His hair was still a rat's nest of untamable raven fluff and he still wore the jeans and long sleeved shirts exactly as Yagami had described. Time had not changed a thing since Mello had first laid eyes on him.

Mello watched on as the two NPA officers backed up, guns still trained on him and Matt, until they reached L. They spoke in hushed tones and from the deep frown Aizawa wore he wasn't pleased in the least, yet when L moved closer Aizawa still flanked his left side.

"Hello Mello, Matt." L greeted, his left foot moving up slightly to scratch his leg and his thumb pressed by his mouth. Mello hoped he bit himself.

"It has been a long time since I have last seen you." L continued on, though Mello saw no point in it.

"I can't say it's good to see you." Mello sneered at the detective. L moved his thumb to press against his bottom lip, slightly distending it in the process.

"Really? That's too bad. But down to business at any rate..." L murmured, eyes wide and owl like just as Mello remembered them. He couldn't understand what he had been thinking in choosing him to aspire to.

"I suppose I should commend you three, or two in this case, for being so capable of holding your own for this long. I hadn't even suspected any of you were alive until nearly six months after you were supposed to have died. Matt certainly did everything he could to cover your trail, even killing a man to hide your exit of the country." L said with the same deadpan voice, though the last portion had Mello looking over at his lover.

Matt had-

"Yeah Mello. I couldn't trust that guy to keep quiet. He was in it for the money and would have sold us out for a larger amount." Matt told him softly, so softly Mello doubted anyone else had heard.

Mello didn't know what, if anything, he should say. He had known that Matt had not told him or Near the entire story as to how he had gotten them out of England but he had never thought Matt would have been forced to do that...

He nudged Matt's side and smiled at him.

"As touching a reunion as this is, I believe it is time to take my win. Goodbye Mello. You might have made a good successor if you had not been so single minded." L broke in, making Mello scowl at him.

Both Aizawa and Mogi still had their guns pointed at him and Matt while the third man seemed to have disappeared altogether. Mello supposed it really didn't matter where he had gone to. There were so many things he regretted doing, and not being able to do and he hated that he had dragged Matt down with him.

Mello believed that Yagami was smart enough to figure everything out. The case had been left in good hands and he was certain L would be brought down someday.

Mello shut his eyes and felt Matt lean ever so slightly closer to him; he gripped the redheads hand harder and could feel the beating of their hearts from the pressure.

He could still see L's dispassionately blank expression and felt Matt flinch slightly as the guns were cocked. His body jerked from the sound, from the almost timed release of more than one gun.

As the shots continued Matt's hand slipped from his and all Mello could feel was pain.

-**End Transmission**-

**AN**: ...XD.

Yeah I ended it there. I made adjustments to this chapter which is what took me so long. As I have stated before there has been a falling out with this story, by both reviewers and myself so I'm rather relieved for the final chapter to be posted.

THERE WILL BE NO ALT ENDINGS for this, ok?

Originally there was going to be a sequel to this, to show the aftermath but as of right now THIS is the ending. I haven't decided if I will post the idea I had as the sequel or a separate story entirely. I like the idea too much to scrap it.

That being said, IF I do post the sequel it will be called Sound of Madness. I will not start working on it until I have each and every chapter planned out to avoid the problem I had whilst writing this as well as hopefully making a better story in the process.

I hope whoever has read this enjoyed it for at least a small while.

~gami

**Special thanks (and to those from the entire story)**: MattLawlipopJeevas, Flacks, Jennifer Smith, Diamone, 9shadowcat9, Gurgicalcipher


End file.
